Walk Like a Shinobi
by ExplosiveNoteNinja
Summary: It's happened-The seal is crumbling, and Naruto is in pain as the Kyuubi attacks from within. To save him, the group must come to terms with Sasuke, travel beyond the map,and hope that they can save him before Naruto is gone forever.
1. A Very Bad Day

**Disclaimer: **Kishimoto, you're going to sell me the rights to Naruto now or else...!!! Sorry. Just kidding. I don't own anything here except for the plot. And the fic. So Meh:P

**Me being mad at myself (Again): ** I'm sorry. I'm a terrible person. I will update everything I have over the weekend, this I swear:D _insert deranged laughter here_

**Author-ness moment: **Oh, dear Odin, I REALLY love the plot I made to this one, I hope you do to...You can hate me if you want, go ahead. Flames are welcome-its winter, and my feet could use a nice sit by the fire. So, anyway...REVIEW, DAMMIT! o,0

Ahem! So, yes, without further ado...Walk Like a Shinobi!

Walk Like a Shinobi

The day was hot and humid, and Uzumaki Naruto flopped on the ground with a sigh. Folding his hands behind his head, he stared up at the sky, wishing something would happen. After a moment, when nothing did, the boy sighed again, loudly this time, and then once more for extra effect.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Naruto shouted, flopping his hands back to his sides and sitting up. "It is so damn _boring _today!"

The spiky-headed, orange-clad ninja turned his head left and right, looking for something-_anything_-to take his mind off the complete boredom that threatened to make him lose his mind.

With a yelp, Naruto scrambled to his feet and slid into a hasty fighting stance as a single shuriken, a bit overly large but nothing to big, fell out of nowhere and landed an inch away from where his head had just been.

"The fuck...???" exclaimed the ninja, actually surprised enough to send his mind racing. Who in the bloody...??? Naruto quickly scanned through the list of people who wanted him dead-Crap, it was a long one, too.

The Akatsuki...no, they wanted him alive first, then dead...

Orochimaru...No, he was dead, wasn't he?

Kabuto! He was possessed by Orochimaru's soul! Well, that was an unpleasant thought, wasn't it!?

Naruto skipped over the next on the list-Sasuke-and his brain was thinking faster than he was pondering. Danzou...that would get complicated...Sugietsu, Jugo, and Karin...Dammit! Why did he have so many enemies!?

Abruptly, Naruto's train of thought came to a halt. There was something happening...some cold, evil, chilling sensation creeping over him. Something blank and white and freezing overran his thoughts, and a frightening kind of loathing squeezed at his heart with stony fingers. Whispers worked into his mind, and Naruto felt himself weakening...

The ninja woke up with a start, cold, clammy sweat glistening on his forehead and sticking to his palms. Naruto took a moment to inhale deeply and calm himself, then looked in a surprised way at his hands. The palms were covered not only in sweat, but small red marks shaped like the tips of his fingernails were imprinted on his skin, like he had been clawing at himself during the dream. Slowly, Naruto put his head in his hands and took another shruddering breath.

"Crap," he murmured. Naruto stayed awake, alone in the dark, breathing slowly and waiting until his heart rate slowed before lying back down again and bringing his covers up close to his chin. His chest started to rise and fall slowly, and sleep loosened the boy's muscles as unconsciousness began to take hold of his senses.

Before drifting away back into slumber, Naruto felt the clear thought of remembering something from his dream poke out of the fog of sleep.

The shuriken that had nearly killed him had had nine prongs.

-

Ayame-nee-chan, the girl at the Ichiraku ramen shop, started to clear the many bowls away from where Naruto had been seated at the counter only moments ago. Picking them up and transporting the last stack over to the dishwasher, she looked up at her father. "Otu-san?"

"Hmmm?"

"Did you notice..." she paused, and started scrubbing the first bowl in slow, circular motions. "Something a little off about Naruto-kun today?"

The ramen man hesitated and thought carefully before replying. With a sigh, he drifted over to check on the pot of broth that was steaming and ready to go. "Yes. I did."

"What do you think it is, Otu-san?"

"I don't know," her father turned to look at her, a kind smile crinkling the skin around his eyes. "I'm sure it's nothing. He's probably worried over a girl. You know Naruto."

Slowly, Ayame nodded and wiped her soapy fingers off on her apron. "I suppose that must be it," she said, although she wasn't completely convinced.

"Yeah, must be."

As he turned back to the food, however, the cook's smile deepened to a concerned frown. Naruto had only eaten about eight bowls of ramen for his breakfast. Ayame was right.

Something was very wrong indeed.

-

"Where the crap is he?" Sakura asked annoyedly. She glanced up to check the position of the sun. "That idiot's ten minutes late!"

"I wonder what's keeping him?" Sai mused. Sakura sighed and kicked at a post that was supporting the bridge, only hard enough to make it shiver. She turned to look at the jonin leaning nonchalantly against the railing.

"Well, sensei?" she snapped. "Do _you_ know where Naruto is?"

Kakashi looked up form the novel he had been immersed in and gave Sakura a stare with his one good eye. "No, I don't. How odd. That knucklehead is usually here, ready to yell at me for being late like you are." Sakura mumbled a quick 'shut up, sensei...', and gazed in the direction Naruto always came in.

"But, seriously..." she muttered, showing a little bit of concern. "Where _is_ that guy...???"

Over the next few minutes, the tension of waiting for Naruto grew. Sakura tapped her foot, and then started pacing in small circles before going back to the railing again. Sai flicked his black eyes back and forth, back and forth, trying to get a glimpse of Naruto, or at least a feel of his chakra. Kakashi, book in front of his nose again, showed no outward concern. However, he had stopped making progress on his page, and was simply reading the same sentence, over and over again. The question of their teammate's location grew and grew in their minds, until it became almost to much.

Where in the streets of Konoha was Naruto?

Another minute passed. No one seemed to hear the slow dragging of feet towards them, and if they did, they didn't look up. Who ever it was couldn't be Naruto, they thought.

They were wrong.

"Hey, guys."

Sakura jumped, and Sai gaped. Sakura turned around fast to glare at Naruto, her scowl instantly fading, and the insult she had ready dieing on her lips. Who the heck was that? Certainly not Naruto! But then again, how many blondes with whiskers and orange jumpsuits were there in Konoha?

Sakura took a small step forward, her worry plain on her face. "Hey...What happened to you?"

Naruto looked terrible. His blonde, messed up hair was at least twice the length it had been yesterday when they had last seen him, and it was tangled and clumped and messy. His blue, usually bright azure eyes looked faded and dull. The whisker lines on his cheeks looked disheveled and scrawny, and Naruto's clothes were awry and covered in mud that looked like only the barest of attempts had been made to clean it off. Naruto stared at them glassily, like they weren't really there, and shrugged loosely.

"Sorry I'm late."

"Er, don't worry about it, Naruto...But, really...what happened?"

He shrugged again. "Dunno. I stopped by Ichiraku's for some ramen... had about eight bowls..."

Here was where Sai gasped. Only eight? Who was this guy and what had he done with Uzumaki Naruto!?

"...When I was finished, I came over here, but I fell in a mud hole...after I tried to clean up a little, I think I got lost..." the shinobi continued, trailing off and getting a obscured look in his already misted eyes. "So, yeah. Sorry."

"Lost?" Kakashi asked, eyeing his pupil. "How do you mean, 'lost'?"

"Exactly that, I suppose. I got turned around, that's all."

Kakashi didn't even nod, but continued to watch the bedraggled Naruto. "Okay then. No more time is going to be wasted. Let's go." That said, he tore his gaze away and jumped swiftly to the top of the gate at the bridge's entry-way. Sakura and Sai joined him with a quick 'hai!', and Naruto mumbled, 'Sir.'. An entire second after they did.

"Come on, Naruto!" shouted Sai. Naruto glanced up at him and nodded once, crouching down and jumping. The ninja only made it a foot off the ground before landing again.

"Quit joking, Naruto!" Sakura said, annoyance returning.

"Sorry." Naruto tried again and frowned when he got the same results. With some difficulty, he focused chakra into the soles of his feet and gave one more leap. Naruto's finger's barely brushed the edge of the gate's top, and he pulled himself the rest pf the way to join them. "'Kay, now let's move." Having said so, Naruto jumped away again from his bewildered companions, moving with an agonizing slowness for a ninja. Kakashi, Sakura, and Sai looked at each other with a mix of emotions and confusion on their faces and under the mask. Not saying a word, they matched Naruto's pace and set off.

-

Another hour gone. The two projectiles landed in the target behind Naruto's ears with a _thwock!_ He raised his hand to catch them, not noticing until a second later that he had been to late. Again.

"Crimony, Naruto..." Sakura jumped down and landed lightly beside him, retrieving her shuriken and staring at him. "What is with you today? Even you aren't usually _that _ suckish."

"Sorry, Sakura-chan..."

Sakura stopped examining her knives and boggled at him. Naruto had just taken her insult without looking up. Sai joined them and studied his teammate carefully. Both of them by now were positive something was wrong. Sakura carefully reached out and laid a finger on his shoulder. He looked up at her with the same dazed expression that had been plastered to his features all morning.

"Naruto?" she asked softly, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, Sakura-chan, why wouldn't I be?"

"It's just that...well..." Sakura blinked. How did she tell Naruto that there was something wrong with him? "Can you sit down for a second? I want to look at you."

At that, Naruto grinned sleepily, a trace of his old self returning. "You can look at me all you want, Sakura-chan."

The pink-headed kunoichi rolled her eyes and began to tuck her shuriken away, spinning it on one finger and opening her pouch. Actually, she was relieved he had responded that way. At least he was in there somewhere, she thought.

Naruto had sat down and folded his legs, looking for all the world like an innocent Academy-goer about to learn something new. He looked up at her with the same friendship that was always in his eyes, smiling faintly. Naruto was about to look down again, when he noticed her still spinning shuriken.

Spinning. Fast. So, so fast...And, from his angle, it looked like it had more than four spikes...seven? No...Nine.

Nine spikes.

Suddenly, the encroaching terror that had swamped him in the dream came rushing back, and Naruto flinched. Sakura looked down. "Naruto?"

The boy sat stock still for a moment more, then leaned his head back...

...and moaned.

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed, bending down to shake him. But Naruto couldn't hear her. The wail coming out of his throat got louder and louder, swelling until it sounded like the dieing screech of a thousand thrashing Bijuu. Sai covered his ears, and Kakashi rushed over from his cover in the trees.

"What is it?!"

"I don't know!"

Naruto's eyes were wide and dilated, looking like they were about to bulge out of their sockets. The scream suddenly escalated in pitch, and Naruto's body was shaking. The scream just seemed to go on and on forever, like paper tearing in your head, like mountains crashing and like water being engulfed in flame.

As suddenly as it had begun, the blood-curdling shriek cut off, leaving Naruto choking for air as he slowly fell over onto his back. He was breathing heavily, and Sakura bent down, her ear to his heart.

_Ka-thump...Ka-thump...Ka-thummppp..._

Sakura straightened up again and snapped at Sai to get the medical squad, or anyone that was nearby. Sai dashed away in a flash, leaving Sakura to pull off her gloves, and Kakashi to stare at Naruto's quivering body.

"Sakura, did you see what caused this?"

"Sensei, I have no idea what just happened," she said, briskly stuffing her gloves away and warming her hands up. "Do you?" She looked at him, and he shook his head.

"Ohhhhhh..." Naruto groaned, blinking at them. His cobalt eyes stared at them, completely clear except for the hazing of pain. "Sakura-chan..." the shinobi whispered, trying to move, "Kakashi-sensei..." He let his head fall back and he groaned again, softly.

"Stop moving, you'll hurt yourself!" Sakura snapped, lighting her hands with healing chakra and reaching to place them on his chest. Kakashi grabbed her wrists and pointed at Naruto as she began to protest. Sakura stopped and stared.

A bubble of something red and sticky looking was swelling over the spot Naruto's heart should be, growing and then exploding with a sinuous _pop_! The malicious red chakra fanned out, tripping over Naruto's jumpsuit and scuttling across his chest like some horrific many-legged spider. Sakura gasped and stumbled backwards into Kakashi, who pushed her aside and knelt as close as he dared to Naruto.

_Snap_! A tendril of chakra whipped itself out at him, and Kakashi missed having his face hit by the stuff by mere inches. As it receded, the infamous Copy Ninja bent over his student again and swiftly removed his headband form blocking his Sharingan.

The red chakra hissed and popped, and Kakashi's eye's widened, the Sharingan spinning to take it all in. The chakra hissed and slithered away from him as his eye roamed across its expanse, taking in the bubbles and crackling red wisps that were spreading all over Naruto's unmoving form. The medical squad shouted form afar, and Sakura called back. But Kakashi found his eyes locked with another pair. The eyes that were staring at him form out of the goop of chakra were slanted and insane, with pupils slitted and iris's red. They seemed to be laughing at him. Laughing in triumph.

"_I've nearly died twice in my lifetime..." Jiriya had said He pulled hi shirt up to reveal a scar, shaped like a claw. "Once, when Tsunade caught me peeking in the girls shower room and broke a few of my bones and damaged several internal organs. And the other time when I was training with Naruto, and..."_

"_And what?" Tsunade persisted, pretending not to notice being mentioned._

_Jiriya continued grimly. "When Naruto became frustrated enough to use the Kyuubi's chakra, four tails appeared. He lost control of himself and destroyed the entire place. We were lucky to be the only ones there."_

_No one said anything. Then, Kakashi murmured, "So he's peeled the seal back that far, already."_

"_Yeah, he has. But there's one other aspect that I think we should worry about."_

Kakashi dimly recalled the memory of the conversation as he curled his hand in to a fist and packed it with chakra. The medical squad was finally here, shouting something to get Yamato and find Tsunade. A stretcher was laid out, and three of them hurried forward to get Naruto.

"_Jiriya, kindly out wit h it already," said Tsunade. Jiriya looked at her out of the corner of his eye._

"_Well," the hermit said, leaning back. "I'm afraid that the Fourth's seal may be..." _

Kakashi plunged his hand down through the sticky, warm mass of chakra at Naruto's heart. The stuff sizzled and screamed, thrashing as it receded. Kakashi didn't notice how burnt and melting his fingers were, and the medics bent to take Naruto onto the stretcher. The jonin's vision swam, and he slowly fell backwards. Kakashi saw Naruto being strapped down and Sakura working to keep him alive. Kakashi closed his eyes. He somehow had just enough energy to reach to his headband, but couldn't pull it back down. Before he passed out, Hatake Kakashi recalled the last thing Jiriya had said about the Fourth's seal.

"_...the Fourth's seal may be..."_

"Dammit..." he said weakly. It had happened. The Kyuubi was fighting hard. And now, they were all in danger.

Kakashi hit the ground with a thump, and Naruto stirred restlessly in his bonds. His eyes snapped open, flashing red with anger, when one of the med-nin tried to inject him with a tranquilizer. Naruto's eyes closed again, slowly, and another nightmare began.

"_...Weakening."_

-

**Author's Note: **Enjoy! I WILL add more, tomorow and over the weekend...I have an extended one this week, yaayyyyyy:D So...yeah...REVIEW, DAMMIT! Heh heh.

**Author-ness (Again. Being added on, whoops. XD): **Oh, yeah, and thanks to NaminiNakashi (Sorry if I spelled it wrong. XD), the author of Shinobi Kitsune, and the author of Don't tick off the Shark! Just because you all rule. Sorry I forgot your names. XD _gives cookies_


	2. Why panic?

**Disclaimer: **Now why would I write a disclaimer if I owned Naruto?

**Me talking to myself (again): **It's done! I finally finished and updated the Bleach thing!

Ichigo: **sigh** I guess I will miss it...sort of...

Me: Hey, don't forget, you'll be back next week in America, baby! XD

Ichigo: O,O Help me!

Naruto: Ow...why do I have to be a victim here? -.-"

Me: Um...Because?

Naruto: **sighs**

-

Walk Like A Shinobi

Hyuuga Hinata wasn't doing anything in particular as she walked along in the general direction of the Hokage's office. Only about twenty minutes ago, a team of medical ninja shouting about an emergency with Sai fast on their heels had whooshed past, and the shy girl was wondering why. With nothing to do and having completed training that day, she decided she'd go see Tsunade-sama and ask if there were any new missions.

"Hey! Hinata! Move!"

Hinata turned around and gasped, stumbling out of the way as Sakura and a team of medical ninja, the same that had passed before, went screaming by her, carrying two other people. Sai came up at the rear and followed them.

_Was that...Naruto-kun on the stretcher? _Hinata wondered. Realizing it was, she gasped and shouted out, "Naruto-kun!" before turning on her heel and running after them.

Naruto shifted his weight slightly and murmured, and the ninja carrying his stretcher looked down in shock. He shouldn't be moving! He should hardly be BREATHING, none the less! What the heck was this kid?!

They had arrived at the Hokage's tower, where Tsunade had seen them coming and was running down the stairs. Sakura was about to pound hard on the door, when Tsunade beat her to it and slammed it wide open.

"In!" she barked. "Take Uzumaki to the hospital-Shizune, you're in charge of healing him. I want Sakura, Sai, and Kakashi in here now! Wake him up, by the way, and heal his hand in my office."

"Um...Wha-what's happened to N-Naruto-kun?"

Tsunade turned around on her way back through the door and squinted at Hinata. After a second, she nodded and added, "Hinata, you'd better come in here, too."

Hinata hesitated as the med-nin and Shizune ran in the direction of the hospital, TonTon hot on their heels. Sai and Sakura took the unconscious Kakashi from the ninja who had been carrying him and supported him between them, moving as swiftly as possible after the Hokage. Looking between the door to the building and the fast retreating squad, she made up her mind and ran after Sakura, Kakashi, and Sai.

Moving quickly for her age, Tsunade plunked herself in front of her desk and pulled a drawer open. Sakura came in with Kakashi in tow and laid her sensei down on the floor. Sai stood near the doorway and watched as Sakura assessed the damage and started to heal him. Hinata arrived and waited nervously.

"Sit," Tsunade told them, indicating to two of the chairs on the left side of the room. The pair did so, and Tsunade stood. Moving over to Kakashi, she scrutinized Sakura's handiwork and nodded. A file was in her hand, labeled, 'Jinchurriki'. "How much do you know about Naruto, Hinata?" she asked suddenly.

Hinata looked up in surprise. "Um...I-I know that N-Naruto-kun has no family, a-and he trained w-with Jiriya-sama, th-th-that's why he was gone so long, but..."

Tsunade nodded. "Before anything else, I suppose I should tell you. Uzumaki Naruto is the container of the Kyuubi, the nine-tailed demon that attacked Konoha sixteen years ago." She looked at Hinata for her reaction, and was mildly surprised when the Hyuuga only nodded sadly.

"I-I thought Naruto-kun was different," she murmured, "B-but I d-don't think he's a m-monster, like everyone used to c-call him."

"Well, on that much you're right. Naruto is a good kid. He recently swore to himself that he wouldn't use the Kyuubi's chakra during a fight anymore, but..."

"But what, Tsunade-sama?" inquired Sai, speaking up.

"It's...complicated..."

All three heads turned to the voice speaking out from the floor. Kakashi stirred weakly to sit up, and Sakura pressed him firmly back down again.

"Stop moving," she commanded, and Kakashi sighed.

Sai said, "How is it complicated, Kakashi-san?"

The jonin didn't speak for a minute, choosing his word carefully. "Naruto...Did decide to no longer use the Kyuubi's chakra. However, he may have made that choice a bit too late."

"Too...late...?" Hinata whispered. Kakashi looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"Hinata, when you visit him, I want you to use your Byakugan to take a look at Naruto's chakra. See if you can spot a difference."

"H-hai...But why would Naruto ha-have changed?"

"Like he said," Tsunade cut in. "It's very complicated. Right now, Shizune and the medical squad should have secured him. We'll be able to visit."

Sai raised an eyebrow. "So soon?"

Tsunade nodded and held the door open. "Sakura, help Kakashi up. I want all of you there for this."

Hinata wanted to ask more, and so did Sai, but their Hokage had already whisked out the door and down the hall. Not wanting to be left behind, Sakura quickly helped Kakashi up and let him lean on her as Sai and Hinata hurried out.

-

Naruto sat there, staring at the white hospital sheet and examining his bandaged hands. The young ninja was shirtless and covered in bandages, sitting up in his bed and thinking over what happened until a faint knock came form his door.

He looked up and called, "If it isn't Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei, Sai, Hinata, or baa-chan, then go away!"

"It's all of us, Naruto."

"Then come in." Tsunade looked annoyed, probably because he had called her, 'baa-chan,'. Hinata wore a look of confusion at being one of select few allowed to see him, and her cheeks automatically colored when she saw that Naruto's chest was wrapped in bandages and he wasn't wearing a shirt. Sai noticed her wobble and hastily got ready to catch her if she fainted.

"Hey, Naruto," said Sakura carefully, "Are you feeling better?"

The blonde shook his shaggy head and grimaced. "Not really. I've got one heck'uva headache."

"At least you aren't so asleep anymore, Naruto," said Sai. Naruto grinned.

"Yeah. No idea what caused that part of my day, huh?" Naruto's eyes widened when he saw Kakashi and he exclaimed, "What happened to _him_?"

"He was trying to save you, idiot," Sakura told him.

"Oh," Naruto muttered. "Right."

"N-Na-Naruto-kun..."

"Hey, Hinata!" Naruto said, beaming at her happily. "I saw you chase after me on the stretcher. Didn't know you cared so much!" He chuckled, and Hinata's face turned red.

"Y-yeah, I-I w-was w-w-worried about y-you, Naruto-k-kun..." Hinata stammered, playing with her fingers and looking down at the floor. She gasped when Naruto swung himself over the bed and swept her into a hug, laughing happily.

"Naruto!" Tsunade barked, "Sit down! You'll injure yourself!"

"Huh? No way, I feel fine! Don't worry about-Hinata? Hey, Hinata! Why have you fainted!? Hinata!"

By now, Hinata's face had turned as red as a Sharingan and had immediately passed out. she murmured in her sleep something along the lines of, "Naruto-kun..."

Sakura sighed and told Sai to watch Kakashi as she went over to wake up Hinata. "C'mon, Naruto, don't exert yourself, listen to Tsunade-sama! We need to talk to you seriously."

"Why does she always _do_ that?" he muttered, but lowered himself back to the bed anyway, massaging his temples. Tsunade exhaled huffily, and Kakashi smiled under his mask. Naruto could be so clueless!

"Well, anyway," started the Godaime. "Like Sakura just said, we need to talk. What happened to you, first of all?"

Naruto shook his head. "I dunno. In fact, I can hardly remember anything that happened after I got out of bed. It's all just a haze..." he frowned. "Well, I do think I had this dream..."

"A dream?"

"Yeah, last night. And before, on the stretcher."

"About what?"

He shrugged. "Don't remember."

"Idiot!" Sakura snapped, looking up from Hinata, who was regaining consciousness. "What use is it to us if you can't remember!?"

"Sorry, Sakura-chan."

Tsunade sighed. "Do you know what it was, Kakashi?" All heads, including Hinata's, swerved to look at the jonin, who had strangely remained silent so far.

"I think," he said slowly, "That it has to do with the seal. You know what that means, Tsunade-sama, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I do. How unfortunate."

"I suggest that we ask Yamato if he know how to reinforce it."

"Sadly, Yamato's out of Konoha on a mission to delver a message. I didn't think we would need him for a few days." She sighed. "Why now, of all times?"

Naruto snapped. "What is happening now? Could you too stop talking in code and just TELL us already?!"

"Please, Tsunade-sama," Sakura added. Sai nodded, and Hinata sat up. All of them were looking at between Tsunade and Kakashi expectantly.

"Oh, alright. But not now."

"Why not now?!"

"Naruto, stop shouting! I'll tell you all later, during a meeting. Yamato should be here either today or late tomorrow, and then I'm going to explain. Okay?"

Naruto folded his arms over his bare chest and pouted. "Fine, baa-chan. Make us wait, then!"

Ignoring him, Tsunade said, "Glad you understand. Now, Naruto needs to rest. We should leave."

"What?! I'm fine! C'mon, you stay a little longer, right?"

Sai waved at Naruto as he left, and Kakashi managed to stand by himself. Tsunade left Hinata to close the door behind her as she and Sakura exited.

"Um, b-bye, Naruto-kun. Er, I h-hope you feel be-better!"

"Yeah," said Naruto, "Bye, Hinata. Stop by later?"

Hinata stared at him and smiled widely. "Y-yes! I-I will, Naruto-kun!"

"'Kay. Bye."

"B-Bye!" Before she closed the door, Hinata remembered to look at Naruto's chakra with her Byakugan. He wasn't paying attention to her at the moment, so she activated it quickly and zeroed in on his chakra veins.

Hinata had to stifle a gasp. Naruto's chakra was swollen and angry, pulsing slowly throughout his frame. At his center, the usual blue flame was small and flickering sadly. Roiling inside of it was a spot of red that seemed to be slowly increasing.

Without another word, Hinata turned her Kekkai Genkai off, shut the door quietly, and sprinted down the hall.

-

Naruto was protesting violently with Sakura the next day. They were back inside the Hokage's office, and Sai, Kakashi, and Yamato were sitting across from them. The reason for the commotion was, apparently, Naruto's bandages. Or, lack thereof.

"Why did you even take them off in the first place, you dork?!" said Sakura, trying to push Naruto's hands away and re-wrap him. For that, she would have to take his shirt off first. Naruto suddenly felt a connection to his personal space, and was attempting to avoid being covered in wrappings at all costs.

"Because I didn't need them!" he said, scrunching into the couch's corner to avoid another attempt to subdue him. "I'm fine!"

"You'll be fine when Tsunade-sama and I say your fine! Now take it off!"

"No!"

"Dammit, Naruto-!"

"Enough!" barked Tsunade, coming through the door with Hinata in her wake. "Sakura, I'll take care of him latter. Sit down."

Naruto felt a small bit of triumph and grinned foxily at Sakura, who immediately told him to wipe the smirk off his face. He shrugged and waved to Hinata, then patted the seat beside him.

After Hinata had inhaled deeply to calm down and taken her seat, Tsunade began with, "Now where are the rest of them?"

"Rest of who?" Sai inquired.

"Your team."

"Team?" echoed Naruto. "So, what is this turning into a mission?"

"Indeed it is," Tsunade agreed. "I'll brief you ask soon as the others get here."

"'Sall a big fuss over nothing," Naruto grumbled. "But whatever."

The clock ticked the seconds by, and after a whopping thirty seconds of waiting, Naruto became restless. Fidgeting in his seat, he changed position a few times before settling down again in the exact same pose as before. He sighed, and Sakura's left eyebrow twitched. Tick, tick, tick, tock, tick, was the only sound in the room aside from Tsunade rustling some papers and Naruto sighing again.

"Oh, come on!" he finally shouted, flopping his hands down on the cushion dramatically. "Where are they? Who are they, anyway?"

Tsunade, placid to wait a bit more, simply said, "You'll see."

"Oi, Baa-chan, you-!"

"You need to calm down, Naruto," Kakashi advised. "Besides, our wait is over."

"What do you...???"

The doorknob turned. Five pairs of eyes, plus one, zoomed in on it. Silhouettes of others shuffled around outside, and a few furtive whispers made it through the wood. After what sounded like a brief argument, the noises stopped and the door swung open.

Kiba and Akamaru, Lee, Gai, Neji, Shikamaru, TenTen, Ino, and Chouji walked silently in. Naruto's jaw dropped, and Tsunade looked satisfied. Once they had all lined up in front of her desk, Kiba was the first to speak.

"So, Tsunade," he said. "What's this top-secret mission you told us to be here for?"

As Naruto spluttered out half-phrases and Hinata covered her mouth to stifled a giggle, Akamaru woofed loudly.

-

**Author's Note: **Yay! I updated! Oh, and yes, there WILL BE NaruHina in here, it is not an option. You don't like, don't read, capisce? Sorry, but this is my first actual 'fic with _pairings_ in it, so I want my favorite to be here. I'll put up a poll for other pairings later, once the mission starsts (not next chapter, the one after that). Also, on the way throug it, I may add a special three guest...see if you can guess who: P So, this was pretty much just a little fill-in-the blanks chapter, but it was necessary to explain some of what happens later. Read on, my viewers read on! Mwhahahahahaaaa!!!


	3. The Mission

**Disclaimer: **Nani? I STILL need to type this? Crimony. :P

**Me: **I'm not talking to myself this time! So there:P

Naruto: Surrrrrrreeeee you aren't...

Walk Like A Shinobi

"I'm glad you all are here," Tsunade said, "Now, first you need to understand that-"

"No way!" Naruto shouted. "Uh-uh! No! Why all these guys?!"

TenTen coughed meaningfully, shooting him a glare.

"And girls," Naruto added. "Seriously, Baa-chan, come on!"

"If you would kindly shut up and let me explain, you'd find out!" she snapped. Sakura smirked at Naruto, who mumbled something and slumped in his seat. "Now. You've all heard that Naruto had an attack yesterday, right?"

Wordlessly, they nodded.

"Good. Now what I need to tell you is that it was not some illness. It was the Kyuubi."

The newcomers gasped, as did Naruto himself. Gawking at Tsunade, he said, "Kyuubi? Whaddaya mean? He's still locked up in his seal!"

"Seal?" Shikamaru looked at Naruto cynically. "Are you saying that the Kyuubi, the nine tailed demon fox the fourth sealed inside an infant, is in you?" Naruto nodded, and Shikamaru blinked. "That would explain a lot, actually."

"Definitely," said Chouji.

"So, Naruto has the..." Ino stared at him and gaped. A second of uncomfortably long silence insued, and Tsunade cleared her throat.

"Uzumaki Naruto is a Jinchurriki, the container of the Kyuubi. Lately, however, the seal has been degrading. I have come to the conclusion that if it goes on for much longer, we will no longer be able to have Naruto among us."

Dead, heavy silence greeted her. The jonin in the room, who had been expecting this, nodded slowly. The chuunin stood, contemplating this, and Naruto himself (the only genin, still), was mulling it over solemnly.

"Tsunade-baa-chan," he said quietly. Everyone turned to look at him. Naruto was staring at his hand, and slowly curled it into a shaking fist, knuckles white. "I don't want to lose. If this is really happening, then there has to be a way to stop it." Hinata bobbed her head once, agreeing.

"I have heard," Yamato said suddenly, "That there is something that can permanently seal a Bijuu. However, details are sketchy, and it could easily be fake."

"What is it?" Naruto's voice did not waver. "I need to know. The only other way to stop the Kyuubi is probably to kill me. And..." He took a breath. "I won't protest."

The group stared at him, not comprehending. Hinata burst out, "N-no! Naruto-kun, w-we won't let th-that happen! W-we can't, r-right?" She looked with a kind of desperation to Kiba, who grunted and stepped forward.

"I say we go looking for this thing," he proclaimed. "Whatever it is has got to be better than executing Naruto. Right?"

"I agree, Kiba-kun!" shouted Lee, and Neji nodded while TenTen smiled tenderly. Ino looked at Sakura, and as one, the two girls added their concurrence. Kakashi said nothing, and Gai winked at Hinata.

"I doubt any of us would be happy with that ruling," he said. "Well, Tsunade-sama?"

The Hokage thought for a minute, her chin resting on her two hands, and nodded. "Tell us what it is, Yamato. It's unlikely that the Kyuubi would let Naruto die, anyway. He'd just heal his vessel, and damage the seal more."

The jonin saluted and took the floor. "Hai. I've only heard of it once, and I was told of it by a traveler. He was a former ninja of the Dragonfly country. I assume you can remember the trouble we had from them a while back." Tsunade nodded, and he continued. "He saw me, and knew I was one of Konoha's ANBU-nin. He eventually entrusted me with a story, about something called, '**Oni Yotogi no Gokuin**'."

" 'Demon Watcher of the Seal,'" Kakashi repeated. Yamato nodded.

"Exactly. He told me how to find it, too, and made me promise never to forget his riddle."

"Riddle?" Neji suddenly looked interested. "What is it?"

Yamato took a deep breath and began to recite, "_To the place beyond the map_

_The one of broken seal must go._

_After the first, one month will last,_

_Across the flaming sea, row._

_Face he who watches without his eyes,_

_Together explore a future's past._

_And out of eight, _

_Who wish no bye,_

_Out of eight,_

_one will die."_

" '..And out of eight, one will die', the stoic Hyuuga murmured grimly. It felt like the rest of the room wasn't breathing. The riddle, like most riddles, made next to zero sense.

After a moment, Tsunade stood again from her chair. "There are fifteen of you to embark on this mission," she said. "And unless you wish to decline, hold your peace."

No one said a word. Tsunade smiled.

"Good. It's settled, then. Here is your mission: Find the Oni Yotogi no Gokuin, fulfill the riddle, and heal Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Knowing that, in full likelihood, some of you will die," Kakashi added. A few of the chuunin turned to glare at him with a determined fire in their eyes, and Kiba and Akamaru both narrowed their eyes and growled, as if to say, 'Screw death, I'm going!'. Yamato smiled around at them all in a sad way.

"Good, then. One bit of it at least tells us where to start- 'Across the flaming sea, row,', can only be referring to the northwest side of **Iwagakure**, the Village Hidden in the Stone," he said, "The area is full of volcanoes, all surroungin a small sea. Not many venture there, as those who do seem to have a nasty habit of never coming back."

Naruto blew air out through his nose and looked at Tsunade. "Oi, Tsunade-baa-chan, did you already know about all of this?"

"Yes. I thought it fit to make sure you were all in agreement with the risks, and knew what you were getting yourself into before I told you," she said, eyes twinkling. Naruto snorted.

"Whatever. But since it's my fault all of this is happening, I'm coming with you!"

Tsunade shook her head, considered, and exhaled noisily. "Fine."

Naruto grinned broadly. "Sweet."

"But, there's one thing you should know before you all leave." The group stopped in their tracks and turned back around to face Tsunade. Chouji, who had actually made it out into the hallway, had to come back into the room.

"Well, what is it, Baa-chan?" asked Naruto impatiently. Tsunade eyed him and clasped her hands together, placing them on her desk and leaning back.

"It's the area you'll be in. You have to cross a small desert to get there, and-"

"And?"

"Let me finish and you'll find out. You see, the desert was the last location our sources have detected Uchiha Sasuke."

**-**

**Author's Note: **Dun dun dunnnnn!!! With the ominous prophecy in place, Naruto and friends have no choice but to risk their lives to save everyone...and on the way, it seems they'll be once again running into an old friend, Uchiha Sasuke.

Naruto: You enjoy putting obstacles in my way, don't you?

Me: It's a plot, Naruto, I know how it all ends. Relax.

Naruto: You're just saying that, aren't you?

Me: Yeah, sort of. We'll see how it progress, but I and I alone know what will truly happen here...Bwhahahahaaaa!!!!!

Naruto: Yay, I'm doomed!

Me: Now you sound like Ichigo:P

Naruto: Rrrrrrrr!!!!!!!

So, yeah, sorry for the short-ish two chapters where nothing really happens, but if you have patience, I hope you can wait a bit until tomorrow...for the next one...Fukukukuku...


	4. A Bad Start

**Disclaimer: **No, people, I don't own Naruto! Duh. : P

**Me: **Okay, so as I said last time, there WILL be NaruHina. You no like, you no read, got it? Good.

Naruto: Okay then. Fine by me!

Hinata: O-okay th-then, I-I am t-too, Naruto-kun! **faints from pleasure **

Naruto: What the?! Why does she always do that!?

Me: ...you can be a doofus, you know?

Naruto: Well, yeah, but I'm not the one in danger of being bombarded by questions like, 'What other pairings are there!? Well, HUH?! HUHHHHH?!!?!'.

Me: Ah, crap.

-

Walk Like a Shinobi

Naruto's eyes etched wide, and he tried to think of something to say. The others seemed to be waiting for him to speak, but he simply shook his head and stood. He had a strange smile on his face as he said, "Well then, this is certainly an important mission."

Yamato smiled, and Tsunade dismissed them with a wave of her hand.

-

Naruto stood, pondering what to pack. He only had so much room in his pack left, and they may be gone for a while, so he wanted to make sure that he had what he needed. Already some changes of jumpsuits and underwear, scrolls, food pills, bandages (Tsunade's orders), kunai, and oil cloth to keep them sharp, and some instant ramen, among other things, were in his pack. He did a quick survey of his room, and his eyes locked on Sasuke's old Konoha headband. With a scratch through it. It was sitting right next to his old Team Seven picture. Odd, he thought. He hadn't noticed it there earlier.

Picking the two items up, Naruto wrapped them carefully in one of his packed jackets, zipped the bag shut, and walked out the door. Hinata and Sakura were waiting on his roof, and he waved as he jumped up (effortlessly, this time) to join them.

"You all packed, Sakura-chan?"

"Yeah. What took you so long?"

"I was looking for anything I might've missed..." the blonde shinobi shrugged. "Just some last minute stuff. What about you, Hinata?"

"I, um, I got everything t-two, Na-Naruto-kun..."

He nodded. "Cool. Let's go."

The three leapt off of their rooftop, touching down only for a second on another not too far away, then flipping away again and making their way across Konoha. Within the span of two minutes of silent moving, they landed on the pavement in front of the others, gathered by the gate.

Lee and Gai touched down a second after them. Lee saluted smartly to Naruto. "Good morning, Naruto-kun! Sakura-chan! Hinata-chan!"

"Hey, Bushy-brow."

"Hi Lee."

"H-hello, Lee-kun..."

Gai clapped Naruto on the shoulder and winked at him. "Don't worry, Naruto, we'll find this Yotogi and solve that riddle, no problem! Our flames of youth will see us through!" Having said so, he used his other hand to give Naruto a thumbs up, and Naruto blinked hurriedly to clear the flash from his eyes.

"Er, thanks, Gai-sensei. I appreciate it."

"Ha!" Gai shouted, giving punching Naruto a little too hard in the shoulder (Naruto staggered to remain on his feet). "It's nothing a comrade wouldn't do!" He punched Naruto's shoulder again, and this time Naruto was knocked off his feet and flew five feet back into a wall. Sakura thought about telling Gai off, but let it go as Hinata help Naruto to his feet again, and he smiled at her. The Hyuuga heiress gulped and had to focus on breathing when he thanked her, but luckily she didn't faint. Sakura smiled knowingly and bowed to Tsunade, who was there to see them off.

"Is that everyone?" the Godaime was saying. Kakashi took a swift head count and said yes, and Tsunade nodded once. "Good. Then may you all take luck, and stay with your assigned teams at all costs. A mission group this large can be complicated to take care of."

Naruto stared at her. "Groups?"

"What kind of ninja...doesn't even hear the entire mission briefing?" said a voice form the corner. Fifteen heads swiveled around, some to stare, a few others to watch amusedly, (as they had already sensed the newcomer). Tsunade calmly turned to address the ninja.

"Shino. I thought you had a mission already."

"I do," said Shino, stepping forward. "I thought I would come by...to see you off."

"Uh-uh," Naruto said, shaking his head violently. "I don't buy it. This guy's always got something to do to me. Well, tough luck, Shino. You're just jealous that you don't get to come with us!"

"Not really. What interest would I have in a simple S-ranked mission?"

Naruto smirked. "Just the fact that you know what rank it is and brought it up proves that you're pissed off."

Suddenly, Shino had Naruto's jacket in his fist, and he yanked the boy closer. "Don't test me, Naruto."

"Sh-sh-shino!" Naruto stuttered, startled. "Let go of my jacket!"

"Fine." Shino relaxed his grip, and Naruto staggered backwards. "Enjoy your mission, Uzumaki." Without another word, he turned and walked away.

Naruto stared after him and scratched the back of his neck. "Crimony! That guy is so creepy!"

"I don't appreciate that, Naruto."

"Why are you still even listening!?"

Kakashi chuckled and bowed once to Tsunade. "Naruto," he said, motioning his student over. "You're with Sakura, Sai, Yamato, and myself."

"Oh. What about Hinata?"

The jonin eyed him, doing the work in his head-fifteen people, four jonin (Neji, Yamato, Kakashi, and Gai), meaning ten chuunin plus one genin strong enough to BE a jonin already. The Hatake really didn't know which group Hinata had been assigned too-he looked at first Gai then Neji out of the corner of his eye, and they nodded. Kakashi said, "Fine, she can be with us."

"Sweet! Now can we stop talking? Let's move!"

The jonin jumped past the gate, their groups with them. Splitting off into three different lines through the trees, Tsunade watched them go. The wind created by their passage blew her hair back, and she smiled.

"You know, Shino," she said to the watching Aburame. "You may get to go on this mission after all. They could need you later, you know."

"...I got it."

"Mmmmm...We'll see what happens, huh?"

"Indeed, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade waited a moment longer as Shino left, and eventually, she walked slowly back to her office. The jonin had instructions to stop after a few days in the Sand, to rest and re-stock. It was a week's trip to Iwa, and then another two weeks across the Flaming Sea. There would be more terrain to cover after that, undoubtedly... The riddle said they must 'go beyond the map'. An unmapped area.

They would see what would happen, alright. It was unlikely the trip would go smoothly at all.

-

The trees raced past, and Naruto was grinning from ear to ear as they ran, jumping off tree branches almost too fast to see. It was always exhilarating, running like that. And they would be for the next two hours, which was the amount of time that had been set until they would stop and re-group with the others. Naruto pushed off his branch to soar higher, tucked into a tight roll, and landed easily again, letting out a whoop.

Watching him, Hinata felt a twinge of happiness. She was here, on a mission, with _Naruto-kun_. She hadn't expected him to ask for her, personally, but there it was for you. She suddenly realized she was smiling, and laughed out loud as Naruto did another flip. He looked back at her, surprised. Hinata clapped a hand over her mouth, blushing furiously.

"Hey, Hinata, you laughed!"

"Y-yes, I..."

"I don't think I've ever heard you laugh before!"

"Oh, r-really? I d-don't usually..."

"It's a nice laugh," he said, slowing until he was zooming along beside her, smiling. Hinata felt a flush of red color her cheeks again, and smiled tinily.

"Th-thank you, Naruto-kun."

"Don't mention it." The two kept moving, only half paying attention to the path in front of them. They were staring at each other, Naruto grinning hugely and Hinata just smiling. They might've stayed like that, too, until Sakura barked at Naruto to look out.

"Wha-Ag!" Naruto shouted, milling his arms in the air and stretching his back out like a limbo-er to avoid the low lying branch. He lost his balance and fell out of the tree, Sakura yelling at him from the branches.

"Sorry!" he called, and Hinata giggled. He looked at her hopefully though, and she gave way to her happy, sparkling laugh. He laughed too, jumped back onto the branch, and they moved on without hazard until it was time to stop.

-

Kakashi's group stopped in a small, almost oval-shaped clearing, and jogged over to where Neji was already waiting with TenTen and Shikamaru and Chouji. Hinata and Naruto were chatting about their favorite hobbies, and Sakura and Sai left them alone to wander over and talk with TenTen and Chouji (Shikamaru was taking a nap, apparently).

After a minute or two of waiting, Gai, Lee, Akamaru and Kiba landed not far from them, panting heavily. Gai had blood dripping from his forehead, and Kiba's shirt was torn.

"What happened?" asked Naruto, eyeing them. "You look like you got attacked!"

"We did, sort of. See, we accidentally tripped some old trap that had been set up, and only avoided most of it. There were more, but we moved around them quickly and continued here," Kiba said. Lee nodded, rummaging in his pack and giving his teacher and comrade each a roll of bandages. They thanked him, and he threw a quick salute.

The easy-going babble started up again, and Naruto managed to make Hinata laugh. Kiba noticed, and for whatever reason felt angry about it. Akamaru looked at him and whined unhappily, feeling his friend's frustration.

"Who does he think he is?" Kiba muttered, rolling the remaining bandage up and tossing it on top of the dozing Shikamaru. As soon as Hinata was called over by TenTen and Sakura, he marched up to Naruto and grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey, Kiba, I hope your wounds are feeling bett-"

"What do you think you're doing?" Kiba snarled. Naruto stared at him blankly, and Kiba shoved him away. "Stop hitting on Hinata like that!"

"Say what?"

"You heard me!" Kiba pushed Naruto, not too hard, in the chest. "Cut it out! Like you'd care for her, anyway!"

"Kiba, stop. I'm not hitting on-"

"Just leave her alone, Uzumaki, you got that?"

Naruto glared at Kiba without flinching and squared his shoulders. "No. She's my friend, too."

"Oh, really?" Kiba challenged.

"Yes, dammit, really!"

Lee and Neji watched the two boys, not close enough to hear them. "It seems that Naruto-kun said something to Kiba," commented Lee. Neji nodded.

"Those two are always getting into arguments," he said, tilting his head back to watch the clouds. "Nothing to worry about."

Lee 'mmm-ed' in consent. Sakura tapped him on the shoulder and asked him if he would like to join her, TenTen, Hinata, Chouji, and the recently woken up Shikamaru (who had immediately wondered whose roll of bindings were on top of him and why). Lee's heart nearly jumped out of his chest, and of course he said yes. TenTen invited Neji, and he got up to follow Lee.

The snatches of conversation were dotted across intervals at turning to watch the two boys across the meadow fight. They were shoving each other now, shouting at the top of their lungs but too far away to make out what was being said. No one was really concerned, except for Hinata, and the subtle change creeping over Naruto went unnoticed.

"Look, Uzumaki, all I'm saying is that you're no good for her! Hel, you left for three years to train with that perverted Sannin, like I'm going to trust you with her-"

"_SHUT UP!!!_" Naruto roared. The cluster of teammates heard _that_, all right, and were staring at him, startled. Kakashi and Yamato stood up, suddenly noticing Naruto's change in stance. Kiba stared at him and took a hesitant step back.

"Cool it, Naruto, I just want you to stop flirting with-"

"SHUT UP, INUZUKA!"

Akamaru's scruff-fur was standing almost straight on end, and he was barking loudly. Kiba started to say something else, until he finally noticed that Naruto's eyes had changed from blue to crimson, with slitted pupils. Kiba stared at Naruto, not comprehending the wave of enraged chakra rolling out from Naruto. Everyone else was hurriedly making their way over to the two, but Naruto was to pissed off to care. He crouched on all fours, his teeth turning to fangs, and his nails sharpening into claws. Kiba stumbled backwards as a layer of red exploded and engulfed Naruto like a cloak. Sakura was shouting, telling him to stop, but Uzumaki didn't hear her. He wasn't even in tailed-form yet, but he had lost control the moment he had felt angry.

Naruto's whiskers thickened and his entire eyes were consumed by scarlet. He lashed out a hand, and the rush of chakra took Kiba off his feet and hurled him back. Akamaru howled and bristled, refusing to move. Naruto took a step forward, and the grass around his foot withered and burned. He roared again, jumping over Akamaru and lunging at Kiba.

"Naruto!" Neji shouted, "What do you think you're doing!?" He started forward, but Yamato clamped onto his shoulder and shook his head.

"That isn't Naruto anymore," he said grimly, "That's the Kyuubi."

-

**Author's Note: **Cliff-Hanger no Justu! Dun dun dunnnnn!!!!

Naruto: KIIIIIIIIIIBBBBBBBBBAAAAAAAA!!!!!! **pissed off **

Kiba: What the!? Splode, did you HAVE to do that?! Really?!

Me: Hey, you're the one who got jealous, not me.

Kiba: Ah, crap!

Me: Heh. Anyway, while Naruto's beating the snot out of Kiba (just kidding, you'll find out what happens next chapter), here's the couple's poll I promised you. Oh, but be careful-There are more characters showing up later, so I'd hold that vote if I were you. Speaking of more people, did you figure out who the 'three' I mentioned last time were? The Sand Sibs (yes, Gaara, Temari, and Kankurou are gonna be here! Whee! XD). SO, here's the poll-keep that advice in mind, though!

Couples available for the next few chapters:

SakuLee (personally, I love this one, but it's the reviewer's choice! XD)

SakuKiba

InoChou (I like that one, too. XD)

InoLee

ShikaIno (remember, temari's coming, so don't worry if you're a ShikaTema fan [like me XD)

NejiTen (WOOT!)

NejiIno

NejiSaku (???)

Soon to be available pairings:

TemaShika

GaaraSaku

GaaraTen

KankuTen

KankuIno

GaaraIno

And the elusive, yet-to-come-even-after-we-reach-Sauna-pairings, you'll have to wait for. So keep in mind to vote for you favorite, or hold your vote because it's not here yet (most likely, it will be. Sorry, nothing yaoi. Or yuri, for that matter. Or sibling connected. **shrugs)**

See ya next time!

Kiba: She made me say it! AHHHHHGGGGGG!

Naruto: RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAARRRRR!!!!!

Me: Oh, that doesn't look pleasant.


	5. Explosive Stars

**Disclaimer: **Cool it, Kishimoto, it's your series, not mine.

**Me: **Wow, here it is! The dreaded fight between Kiba and Naruto!

Kiba: I'm still pissed at you, Splode.

Naruto: Rrrrrrrr...

Me: Oh, hey, Kiba, he's coming back!

Kiba: Crimony!

Naruto: Readddd...the chapter...KIIIIBBBBAAAAA!!!!!

Kiba: O,O

-

Walk Like a Shinobi

Neji stared at Yamato, then blinked at tried to activate his Byakugan. Both he and Hinata flinched as his Kekkai Genkai flickered on, and almost immediately shut itself off again. It hurt their eyes to even look at the deadly chakra that was spouting from their friend.

"KIIIIIIIIIIIIBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBAAAAAA!!!!!!" Naruto brought his fist back and slammed it into the earth where Kiba had been half a second ago. A crater emerged, and Naruto whipped his head around to glare at the Inuzuka, who was scrambling in a wide circle back to Akamaru on all fours. His eye narrowed, and he crossed the space to Kiba in three long strides, lashing out with a glowing red chakra claw.

Akamaru yelped as Kiba bowled over and hit the dirt. The wolf-sized nin-dog snarled and galloped as fast as his four paws would carry him to Naruto's side, before springing off his back paws and tackling the possessed ninja.

Naruto caught Akamaru's front paws and hurled him away with almost disturbing ease, and Chouji caught the dog using his Baika no Jutsu.

Distraction out of the way, the glaring red eyes refocused on their target.

Kiba managed to move three whole steps before the breath was knocked out of him as Naruto lashed out with his power again.

"N-Naruto-kun! Kiba-kun!" Hinata wailed. She was about to dash forward and capture Naruto's attention, but Kakashi held her back.

"Don't," he said, "We've come prepared for this."

Yamato nodded. "It's nearly the entire reason I'm here, considering Kakashi can remember the damn riddle himself." Having said so, he hurriedly completed the seals, and shot a strand of his own chakra at Naruto.

The wad of blue hit its mark, and the ruby energy hissed. Naruto whipped around, abandoning Kiba, and roared at Yamato. The ANBU nin took no notice, and five wooden posts, spikes on the inside facing towards the Jinchurriki, grew out of the earth surrounding Naruto.

The eyes of the Kyuubi glowered at them with distaste, and Naruto waved his hand once.

The posts shook, cracked, and shattered. The line of chakra snapped. Naruto roared again. Yamato stumbled back, his hand bleeding, stunned.

"**GATSUGA!!!!**"

Kiba's corkscrew attack gained speed, headed straight for Naruto, who growled and ducked. Kiba flew straight over him, and unexpectedly turned with a follow-up assault, pinning Naruto square in the back.

The triumphant smirk was wiped off of Kiba's face as Naruto twisted his head to look at him over his shoulder. The corners of his mouth curled into a sharp-toothed leer, and the red goop began to crawl rapidly up Kiba's arm.

Steam rose from where it was touching him, and Kiba howled, tugging and yanking his arm to try and free it. Naruto tilted his head back, and in him, the Kyuubi laughed.

"S-stop, N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata couldn't take it anymore and broke free from Kakashi's restraining hold, running towards Naruto. When she had closed the gap, he raised his hand to strike at her-

-and stopped.

The Kyuubi scowled and tried to make the boy bring his hand down again, and only managed to make Naruto shiver. He was twitching, his clawed hand trembling, two different consciousness' struggling to make him act.

"H..." Naruto stared at her and his eyes flicked rapidly between blue and crimson. "H...Hi...na...ta..."

She stood, her eyes riveted on his. "Naruto-k-kun..."

"Hina-Hi-H..."

Slowly, his fist began to lurch down, and the flashes of blue became fewer. The Kyuubi was winning. The Kitsune notice and leered at the futile fight. The demon fox gave another great push, and Naruto yowled.

He struck out at her...

Kakashi took the blow full on the shoulder, the only thing keeping him on his feet the connection of the chakra flowing from his fingertips onto the paper marked, 'Seal'.

The paper was stuck to Naruto's forehead.

Inside, the Kyuubi writhed and released his hold on Naruto's mind. All at once, the chakra crackled and boiled, sucking itself back towards Naruto's heart.

As it _sllurrrped _away, Naruto coughed violently, swayed on his feet, and fell face-first to the floor. After a second of staring at him, Kakashi managed to sit down before the same happened. Sakura and Ino rushed to their sides and began patching them up the best way they could.

Hinata flipped Naruto carefully onto his back, brushing the hair out of his eyes and biting her lip so as not to cry. Kiba was holding his middle and not moving his right arm, both of which were badly burned. Ino stabilized Kakashi and moved to Kiba. Akamaru sat on his haunches, watching them all, and whined sadly.

-

Sakura had long since forbidden Naruto to move, and he had had to have been given his dinner by Hinata (who was more then happy to oblige him, anyway). Gai had offered to take the first watch as the stars poked out in the night sky. The campfire crackled forlornly, and Shikamaru stirred it again with a twig. A few embers leapt out, but quickly fizzled out on the hard packed earth.

For a little over an hour, no one had said anything at all. Kiba had taken his sleeping bag and moved to the direct opposite side of the fire from Naruto, and had laid down in the flickering shadows away form the warmth. Akamaru had reluctantly trudged over to join him, and snuggled against Kiba's side. Hinata was sitting up, only a few feet from where Naruto lay on his back, staring at the sky.

Another stick snapped, and Naruto sighed. He had been tracing a few constellations, the ones he could find, anyway, with his eyes and generally trying to keep his mind off of what had happened. The scary part was, the feeling was still there, stirring beneath the surface, lurking and waiting to come out again.

"I'm sorry," he said. Hinata looked at him, and Sakura nodded without turning her head. Kakashi and Yamato said nothing, but simply sat by the flames. Kiba, of course, had fallen asleep and generally didn't give a damn. Ino rolled her eyes.

"We forgive you, you dork," she muttered. "Like it was you're fault, right?"

"That's right, Naruto-kun!" said Lee, "You are not to blame here. And neither is Kiba!"

"I wasn't going to blame Kiba, Lee."

"I never said so, Ino-chan!"

"Y-yeah, Naruto-kun..." Hinata murmured. "It w-was nobodies fault."

Naruto nodded and closed his eyes. "Thanks, guys. 'Night."

"Good-night."

"Sleep well, Naruto-kun!"

"What Lee said, Naruto."

"N-night, Naruto-kun."

No one else quite caught it, but Kiba almost thought he could hear Hinata's smile. He shifted, and Akamaru snuffled (he, on the other hand, was truly asleep). No one looked up to glance at him, and the Inuzuka suddenly felt alone.

That night, no evil dreams disturbed Uzumaki Naruto, as he dreamt of some girl's face smiling and laughing with him from the stars.

-

**Author's note: **The ending to this chapter was almost pure NaruHina FLUFF! XD

Naruto: **mumbling in his sleep **You have a nice laugh...

Kiba: The jealousy...gnawing at my brain...

Me: Aw, poor Kiba. Wish my OC was an actual Naruto character-she's got a thing for you, you know.

Kiba: I've heard that before.

Me: I figured.

Moriko(my OC): Hey, Naruto! Ah, crap! Kiba! Why am I never here for these things!?

Me: Ahem. Anyway, here's the vote so far for the pairings-keep sending them in, by the way! We reach the Sand somewhere in the next two chapters!

InoLee (1)

LeeSaku (1) (WOOT! XD)

GaaSaku (one vote, put on a type of reserve...yeah.)

KankuIno (1)

ShikaTem (2)

NejiTen (1)

InoChou (1) (GO GO GO! XD [again)

And also some off side pairing suggestions-

One sided KakaAnko (I will consider, but nothing's for sure)

KonohamaruHanabi (LOL, a mini NaruHina indeed, Greybane! XD If I can somehow work Konohamaru in here, I'll see to it.)

And one GaaMatsuri (Big question mark on that one, Greybane-I'll do some research, unless you have an OC. -.-" I feel dumb. XD)

So, read on! I am slowly controlling your minds...Hey! I was _kidding_...crimony...

Kiba: Don't believe her! She could be slipping you poison, for all we know!

Me: Kiba, I'm not. Aren't you supposed to be asleep?

Kiba: Um...Snore?

Me: Right. **sarcasm entered here **


	6. At the Line

**Disclaimer:** Dude! No, I am obviously not Masashi Kishimoto! So meh. : P

**Me: **I know her now! I can't believe I forgot her name-Matsuri, the only one who wanted to be Gaara's student, episodes 216-220. End of the fillers. Was kidnapped because some dorks wanted to use her as ransom to capture Gaara's Shukaku. I seriously can't believe I forgot about her! XD Thanks for the reminder, anyway, and I'll wedge her in here REALLY quickly-so, here we go!

Walk Like a Shinobi

The clouds were stationary over the village of Konohagakure that afternoon-Aburame Shino didn't particularly care, considering he wore those glasses all the time anyway. As he walked along, his hands in his pockets, he kept his eyes fixed straight ahead.

"Hey, Hanabi!" Konohamaru shouted, tugging a little Hyuuga girl along with him. "Come on! I know this really cool slide that goes out of a tree..."

"Really, Konohamaru?"

"Yup! C'mon, it's this way..."

The two passed him, and Shino stopped in the road. They hadn't noticed him, at least consciously. The bugs scuttling through his hair had observed the strange flicker that crossed over the pair's eyes-the problem was, Shino couldn't figure out whether it was affection for each other or a subtle fear of him.

Usually, the Aburame didn't like being ignored-they were only genin though, so why bother?

Continuing his walk to Tsunade's office, he thought of what might've gone wrong only two days after the mission group had set off. Shino's B-ranked mission had been easily completed overnight (what other time to do some reconnaissance on the creep Danzou?), and the Hokage had wasted no time in summoning him that morning.

Some of the insects that inhabitant him buzzed out and opened the door for him, wrapping around the handle and following him in. A couple people stopped to stare at him, but as always, Shino didn't care. He stood outside the Hokage's office and knocked once.

"Shino."

That was invitation enough for him, and Shino shut the door quietly behind him.

"Nice to see you. Have a seat."

"I'd like to remain standing, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade shrugged carelessly and sipped at her sake bottle-no bowl or anything. Shino mentally was relieved that she hadn't had enough to become thoroughly drunk yet. "Fine. I expect you understand why you're here."

He nodded.

"The mission was set back for the group because of another attack by the Kyuubi-I was sent word of it by Pakkun."

Shino nodded again.

"I want you to leave to follow them-tomorrow."

"Pardon me, Hokage-sama." Shino said, his glasses inching intimately down his nose. "Why not now?"

"Because," she said simply, "I don't want them to know you've been sent. Leaving tomorrow will put you far enough behind them-Oh, and I hope you can manage on your own, because I don't want you to stop at the Sand until they've left, either."

Shino didn't completely understand (and he would never admit it,), but he accepted the command and fizzled away in a cloud of bugs.

-

The same heavy, leaden gray clouds glared down at the slowly moving group. Naruto was in the middle of Kakashi, Yamato, Sai, Hinata, and Sakura. Sai to the right, Yamato to the left, Kakashi in the lead, and both Hinata and Sakura in the back to keep an eye on him. The orange-clad boy pretended not to notice, although it was entirely obvious this was a strategic position. Probably thought it up before he was awake that morning.

Their pace was hardly faster then the ninja word for walking, and Naruto's patience was wearing thin. Exactly how impaired did they think he was!?

The travel time, irritatingly, had also been shortened to only one hour. Uzumaki Naruto was beginning to wonder exactly how far set back they would be because of their worry for him. A scheme that would no doubt get him in trouble crawled in his mind, and he grinned to himself.

Suddenly, he said, "Kakashi-sensei, exactly where are we stopping this time?"

Kakashi looked at him, turning completely around and counting on Yamato to warn him of any obstacles. "A stream about a half a days moving runs into a larger river-we'll be stopping at it's broadening point. Why do you ask?"

Naruto snorted. Instead of answering the question, though, he said, "Half a day till we get there, huh? Is that at normal speed or going this stupid pace?"

After a second, he was answered with, "Normal speed. We'll all be there in another day and a half. The border is still a aways away."

"A day and a half, huh?"

"Yes."

Naruto seemed to ponder this for a moment, before looking back up and grinning wickedly. "That'll take too long!" With a sudden burst of speed, he hurtled over Kakashi, landed with one hand to brace himself on a branch, and took off again as fast as he could, whooping loudly.

"Crap! We're going to lose him!" said Yamato, and the remaining five shinobi hurriedly dashed after Naruto.

Ducking and swerving around branches, Naruto was having the time of his life. He had just pulled a prank in front of five other people-he had forgotten how good it felt to get away with it!

Turning his head, he laughed exhilaratedly and shouted, "Catch me if you can, sensei! Whoo-hoooo!!!!"

Hinata managed a smile and pushed herself forward as she realized that Naruto was playing a game. The chase continued-they were going much faster than before, and reached the river abruptly in only fifteen minutes. Naruto was panting and his eyes were lit up happily. They were the first ones there, and soon, Hinata, then Sakura and Sai, Kakashi and Yamato, touched down behind him.

He laughed again. "Sorry, guys. I couldn't stand moving so slowly!"

"Naruto..." Sakura was stalking forward menacingly, curling her hand into a fist. "YOU IDIOT!"

"S-s-s-s-sakura-chan! I thought you weren't allowed to hurt me, remember!?"

"As much as I'd like to, you're right. I'll just settle for taking that ramen out of your pack tonight."

"No! Nevermind! Hit me! Right here, on my head, as usual, see?!"

Despite the prank, the others chuckled at started to break camp.

-

Lee was talking with Naruto about the earlier chase, as Naruto had been proudly bragging to anyone who would listen. Lee was excited to know how long it had taken them, how much training it was worth, and EXACTLY how youthful he had thought it was. Naruto was nonchalantly answering all of the questions as best as he could, occasionally winging it when he couldn't come up with something ("How youthful, Naruto-kun?" "Ah, I dunno, Lee...very youthful, I guess?" "YOSH!")

Kiba was staying as far away and isolated as he could get without leaving the campsite-Most of the others decided to ignore him, even Akamaru wandered away for a while to help Chouji eat a bag of potato chips (who knew Akamaru liked chips, eh?). Hinata had once tried to go over to talk to him, but had been advised against it by TenTen.

"Boys like Kiba need to skulk sometimes," she said. Hinata still looked worried.

"B-but...Kiba-kun isn't usually like that..."

"Don't worry, Hinata. He'll get over it."

"I h-hope so..."

TenTen smiled at her warmly. "Here, why don't you help me out and start frying that rice up a little. I want to have a decent meal tonight!"

"O-okay..." Hinata took to small packet of rice and crouched by the makeshift pan that was spitted over the fire. Relieved to have something to do, she ripped the packet open and began to tiring task of supervising a cooking meal.

Naruto was trying to get around Sai, who seemed determined to stop him form doing any of the work.

"Move it, Sai. I can still fight, and I wouldn't mind breaking your nose!"

"I don't think so, Naruto," said Sai. "You know you can't get angry."

Naruto scowled at him, and Shikamaru passed them, carrying two heavy looking packs. "Just let him work, Sai. If Kakashi doesn't want him doing anything he should've tied the idiot up. Here," he added, tossing one of the packs to Naruto, who caught it deftly. "C'mon. Yamato wants those mats laid out-something about not eating on the floor."

Defeated, Sai shrugged and let them be. Naruto followed Shikamaru towards the little fire, and said, "Hey, thanks, Lazybones."

"No problem. It's too troublesome doing all of this by myself. More work for you, less for me."

Naruto grinned. "Yeah. Great."

"Whatever."

The mats were laid out, and a few minutes later the lunch was rationed to all fifteen members. Kiba had come in to grab his bowl, his mat, and then stalk away again. The meal was finished and the dishes and mats packed away, and the shinobi returned to their separated groups before heading off again.

-

The border between Konoha and Suna was almost plainly obvious. The trees dipped away into a rocky outcropping, and spread below that was desert, and nothing but desert. Gai was standing by the ridge with Lee, predicting if they could make it to the capital before night fell.

"What do the rest of you say, eh?" he asked, consulting the other three jonin. Yamato eyed the expanse of sand. Neji had already taken a good look and said that they should stop here and wait until morning. Kakashi merely shrugged and said that so long as they got there either way. Gai raised an extremely thick eyebrow at Yamato, who still had not answered.

"I say we need to make up for lost time," the ANBU-nin proclaimed, and Gai agreed. Kakashi did, as well, and Neji gave in. Gai smiled widely and shouted to the waiting bunch of impatient chuunin, and one hyper-active genin.

"Stir yourselves, we're going on!" he roared, making Chouji and Shikamaru both jump and stare at him incredulously.

"What is he, completely immune to sleep?" Shikamaru muttered.

Chouji rolled his eyes. "Eh, who knows? Come on, I want a real dinner tonight, too. Food pills have absolutely no taste."

"True enough."

"Alright! Hey, Hinata, you arne't sleepy, are ya'?" Naruto hollered. Hinata blushed and shook her head no. "Good, 'cause I wanna race!"

"I will as well, Naruto-kun!" said Lee. TenTen shook her head and grumbled about some people 'not knowing rest when they needed it'.

"Stay all together, at least a meter apart, and don't stray!" barked Kakashi. The nin took a moment to assemble themselves in this way, and they took off in a rush of wind.

"I'm ahead of you, Lee!"

"Not for long, Naruto-kun!"

Chouji laughed and was entirely content to remain his own pace, as was just about everyone else. However, they ended having to turn on the speed anyway-partially because the two competitors were begging to pull ahead of them, and also because the desert was known to get dangerously cold at night.

-

Baki stopped before Gaara and dipped his head. "Kazekage-sama, the Konoha-nin Tsunade told us would be sent here have arrived."

"Okay."

-

Naruto stared up at the Kazekage building and gawked. "Crimony! I forgot it was so big. Lucky Gaara..."

"It's been a while since I'd seen Gaara," commented Ino, "In fact, the last time I saw him personally as when he as completely psychotic."

"He isn't like that anymore, don't worry," said Sakura, laughing, "In fact, you may just like what you see, Ino!"

Ino's face flushed. "Shut it, Forehead."

"N-Naruto-kun, h-how is G-Gaara-kun faring? I-I mean, I h-heard that when y-you saw him, he nearly d-died..."

"Yeah, that's true. Ah well, I'm sure the dude's fine. Right, Gaara?"

The others looked towards the doors expectantly as they swung open and Gaara flicked his eyes across them all. "Greetings, Uzumaki Naruto. Rock Lee. Welcome to all of you."

-

**Author's Note: **Hey, you know when I said that we wouldn't be in Suna for another two chapters? I lied. Here ya go!

Oh, pairings update! I added the KonoHana in here, as requested. It was only quickly, but it's there. **winks** So, here's the poll so far!

InoLee (1)

LeeSaku (2) (WOOT! XD)

GaaSaku (one vote, put on a type of reserve...yeah.)

KankuIno (1)

ShikaTem (3)

NejiTen (2)

InoChou (3) (GO GO GO! XD [again)

GaaMatsu (2) (I am now accepting it as a vote.)

Ta-da! Ooh, looks like the top runners are LeeSaku, ShikaTem, and InoChou. Pairings with the most votes by next chapter wins to become the next couple. Till next time!

Naruto: Hey! I didn't get to comment this time!

Me: Well too bad. : P


	7. Tourists in Suna

**Disclaimer: **Oh, c'mon, it goes right at the top of everything, seriously: P

**Me: **Yes! Time for the next couple to start forming! Here's the results-

InoLee (1)

LeeSaku (2)

KankuIno (1)

ShikaTem (4)

NejiTen (2)

InoChou (3)

GaaMatsu (2)

And the winner is...ShikaTem! Yaaaaaaaay! The forerunners (LeeSaku, InoChou, NejiTen) will be put at the bottom of this chapter as the finalists, considering Temari isn't going to be in here for keeps...Well, maybe she will be, haven't gotten to that yet. Anyway, here's the newest chapter-sorry for the wait!

Walk Like a Shinobi 

Lee threw a quick salute, and Naruto grinned.

"Yo, Gaara," he said. Gaara nodded and beckoned them all inside.

-

Temari acknowledged the Konoha nin with a curt nod, and Kankurou grunted in greeting. Gaara moved around the large, circular table and took his place in the Kazekage's chair. Extra seats had been pulled out to accommodate the visitors, but Shikamaru still ended up sitting next to Temari somehow. He looked at her, and she muttered a hasty hello. Ino noticed and stifled a giggle.

"Hey, Forehead," she whispered to Sakura, who was in the chair next to hers, "Check out Nara and Temari." Sakura swiveled her head and smiled.

"Too bad for you, Ino, huh?"

Ino glared at her. "Oh, shut up!"

"Yeah, because you've got your eyes on Chouji, right?"

"Forehead-!"

"Ahem," Kakashi rapped his hand against the table to get their attention and gave them _the look_. Apparently, their conversation had begun to rise above a whisper. Both of them immediately looked at Chouji, but he hadn't heard. "Are you two done, or is it important?"

"We're fine, sensei," Sakura muttered, resisting the urge to punch through the table in irritation. Kakashi pretended not to notice their discomfort and looked to Gaara.

"May I start?"

Gaara nodded and Kakashi stood.

"As you know, the fifteen of us have been sent on a mission to go to Iwa's volcanoes. This is because there is something in the area we need," he said, cutting straight to the point. Temari and Kankurou managed not to look surprised. Why hadn't they been told about this? "The item concerns Naruto's Bijuu."

Gaara was listening intently-these were the details that the report had left out. On the word, 'Bijuu,', his head snapped up and his eyes narrowed. His siblings shifted so that they were leaning forward, rapt. In their experience, nothing to do with Bijuu's had ever come out to much good. An example being the recent problems they had had with the Akatsuki.

"In what way?" Kankurou asked cautiously. "What do you need it for?"

"To fix my seal," Naruto didn't bat an eyelid when Temari gasped. "Kyuubi's trying to break out. We need to find the Oni Yotogi no Gokuin, or the result would probably be worse then if Gaara ever fell asleep." He eyed Gaara and added, "No offense."

"...None taken. I understand." Gaara stood and folded his arms. A bit of sand popped out of his gourd and scurried into the middle of the table. The grains rearranged themselves until an accurate map of the trail from Suna to Iwa and then through the volcanoes was visible. "After you cross the rest of the desert, you need to either go around or through Iwa."

The ninja nodded. They knew this already.

"The lake and the volcanoes are dangerous. The water is constantly boiling hot-you fall in, you die. When on land, be careful where you step, because the sharp rocks can fall through at the slightest amount of pressure and you could fall." The sand illustrated this by shifting again until a stick figure was walking jerkily. The part of the sand that was the ground under the figure suddenly fell through, and the churning blobs of sand under that absorbed the stick man. Ino winced and muttered, "Lovely."

"You can stay in Suna for as long as you need too, and Temari and Kankurou will escort you to our border."

"We'll only be here for a day," Kakashi interjected, as Naruto was about to complain about not needing escorts. "Thank you."

Gaara nodded and pulled the sand back as the others started to leave. Shikamaru and Temari stood up at the same time, and Shikamaru's chair leg was tangled with hers. Both of them were muttering apologies as they bent to undo it, before hitting their heads together. Gai chuckled and left the door open for them to close when they finally sorted it all out.

"Sorry," Temari mumbled, freeing the chair legs and straightening. She held out a hand to Shikamaru, who grasped it firmly to pull himself up.

"It's fine," he said, brushing himself off. "But this whole mission is troublesome."

"I should think so. You know the number of people who have gone to that lake and come back?"

"Probably some ominous number. Let me guess, none?"

"So the genius is a good guesser, too," said Temari, waiting until he'd passed through the door before pulling it shut.

"Humpf."

She chuckled and smirked. "Just be careful, deer." With that said, she turned and walked down the hall. (**1**)

Shikamaru stood, contemplating what she had said. She had said it like she meant it, but...

He smacked his forehead and called after her, "Very funny!"

Temari laughed out loud, and the smile didn't leave her face until she fell asleep later.

-

For the entirety of the morning, Team Konoha was busy packing, unpacking, and re-packing. After Naruto had complained loudly (for the fifteenth time) to Kakashi and Yamato, a lunch break was called, and Gaara offered to show them around the village. Naruto, Lee, Hinata, and Sakura accepted his invitation. Kiba had gone off somewhere with Akamaru, and Chouji was too concerned with his lunch to care. Shikamaru was looking for Temari, (something about 'learning more about Iwa'), and Neji and TenTen were forming strategies for travel. Gai, Kakashi, and Yamato were engrossed in a conversation about the riddle, and Sai had simply wandered off.

So, for the rest of the day, Gaara pointed out the monumental sites, the best places to eat, the training grounds and the ninja academy in Suna to his happy tourist group.

An hour passed, and Naruto's stomach rumbled. He scratched his head embarrassedly, but Gaara simply waved them into a small food stand, and they placed their orders.

"Aw, man," Naruto whined between bites of rice cake. "I feel like a tourist!"

"We are technically tourists, Naruto," Sakura pointed out, and Hinata giggled.

Naruto blew out a puff of air. "Still, though!"

"We'll be leaving anyway, Naruto-kun," said Lee. "Let's enjoy to wonderful surroundings of Suna while we can, eh?"

"Whatever..."

Hinata noticed Naruto had a piece of rice sticking to his nose, and giggled again when he tried to pick it off with his tongue. Sakura sighed and Lee cheered Naruto on. Gaara sat and watched with an amused smile on his face.

-

At five fifty, the travelers were ready to go. Lee had said his farewells to Gaara, and Temari and Kankurou were at the lead. Gaara stood and nodded at Naruto, who held out his hand to shake.

"See ya', Gaara."

"You too, Naruto."

Naruto paused before saying. "Gaara, has Shukaku ever tried...to break out of you himself?"

Gaara shook his head. "No. In fact, Naruto...After Chiyo-baa-sama and you guys saved me from the Akatsuki, Shukaku has hardly had enough power to move. Remember when you said that the Kyuubi freeing himself would be worse then me falling asleep?"

Naruto nodded.

"Well, that's definately true. With the Shukaku so weak, I can go to sleep without him overpowering me."

Temari and Kankurou did a quick head count, then told everyone to get into their positions. Naruto stared intensely at Gaara, then sighed and said to him, "Lucky you."

Gaara looked on with a sad kind of expression on his face as Naruto wheeled around and jumped into place behind Gai before they all took off. Standing on the top step of the building, he muttered, "Good luck, Naruto," and turned to go back inside.

-

**Me: **Wow, a filler chapter. I'll have to add another one right after this! _Starts typing_

Naruto: Why the Hel do I feel so solemn?

Me: Ummmm...

Well, anyway, here's the final couples for the poll-I will be using either the top two or the just the number one pairing throughout the rest of the story alongside NaruHina. I'm adding this here again because I still haven't decided whether Temari's gonna stick around, but either way ShikaTem is affirmative.

LeeSaku (2)

NejiTen (2)

InoChou (3)

I took the three with the highest votes that can be here for the other chapters, and your-yes, you-votes will decide the best one! Da da daaaa!!!

Oh, yes, and as for the little thing with the number:

This is Temari's pun, because 'Shika' means 'deer' in Japanese.

I had about a page of GaaMatsu-ness, too, but it had pretty much nothing to do with the plot, so it's in a different file (just in case). Anyway, see you next time!


	8. Travel Gear plus Problems

**Disclaimer: **Do I have to do it? I'm still getting over the shock of not owning Naruto. : P

**Me: **Say WHAT?! Six days without an update, oh, well we'll just seriously have to fix that, won't we now?!!?!_winks knowingly at you peoples_Sorry it's taking a while-I got sick. I hate getting sick. I hardly ever get sick! What is this flu made out of!? s_igh_ Oh well-here it is: D

Naruto/Kiba/ Gaara: Wheeeeeee...

Me: Oh! Poll results!

SakuLee: 5

NejiTen: 3

InoChou: 4

WOW. Well, looks like SakuLee wins, InoChou coming in close for second and NejiTen making the race tight. Oh, and for all of you who mailed me your votes, just stick to reviews next time, okay? Thanks!

-

Walk Like a Shinobi

Temari stopped and looked around, sticking her immense fan into the earth and leaning on it. "Here's a good spot."

Kankurou nodded and tossed his pack to the ground, digging through it for the flint. "Fine. From here, we'll make it to the border in the morning. Whoever has that flammable stuff in their pack, bring it here!"

Dutifully, Sai unloaded the material used for fires (where would you find wood in a desert? Cacti are filled with water!) and passed it to the Puppet Master, who thanked him and struck the tinder to create a spark. Naruto was unfolding his tent, when Hinata offered to help.

"Sure, Hinata, thanks!" he grinned, and she blushed.

"N-no problem, N-Naruto-kun..."

"Hinata, you can just call me Naruto, you know."

"O-okay, Naruto-k-kun...Erm, I-I mean-!"

Naruto sighed. "Nevermind, Hinata. Call me whatever you like, okay?"

She nodded, relieved. "A-alright, Naruto-kun..."

While the others set camp, Kakashi leaned against a small boulder and supervised. Gai stared at him.

"Kakashi, my rival! Why are you not using that flame of youth you have to help us break camp?"

"Because, Gai," the Copy Nin replied calmly, "I was never any good at setting up tents. So I'll supervise." Gai laughed.

"Kakashi, you always have what's best in mind, eh?"

TenTen sighed, thought about telling him that the Hatake was just being lazy, then neglected it and bent her head to her work. Her and Neji's hands collided while reaching to set out the tatami mats, and she blushed.

"Sorry," she mumbled. Neji stepped back.

"It's fine, TenTen."

Sakura sighed. Everyone seemed to be hooking up but her, lately. Even Ino was across the wide circle, chatting amiably with Chouji. She bent down to set up her own tent, when a hand wrapped in bandages grabbed it and unpacked for her.

"Lee!" she exclaimed. "What're you doing?"

"I can't stand to see you so upset, Sakura-chan!" said Lee seriously, kicking the tent into place wit ha flourish. "You should be happy! You're so youthful and have such spark, after all!"

She smiled. "Well, thank you, Lee-kun."

Lee blinked. "Lee...kun??? YATTA!" He jumped into the air, kicking happily as a huge banner appeared out of nowhere behind him. The onlookers all sweatdropped, wondering how the bloody Hel Lee could use a genjutsu that they couldn't dispel. Especially when that genjutsu contained a giant banner that was larger then the camp reading, 'Sakura-chan is a volcano of YOUTH!'. Gai was the only one not concerned, and after a moment of sweatdropping, Sakura laughed.

Naruto scowled. For whatever reason, he wasn't angry that Lee seemed to have finally won Sakura from his attempts to gain her liking. Instead he was annoyed that Kiba also laughed. While looking pointedly at him.

"Idiot Kiba," he muttered, stretching the mat too far, and causing it to rip. "Damn it..." Hinata watched him, a look of worry growing on her face and Naruto's mumbling got louder, his actions more fierce, and the scowl turning to an angry snarl on his face. "Why is he _laughing _at me?!"

"Naruto-kun..."

"What?" he snapped, before looking up and seeing Hinata's lip trembling. He stared at her vacantly, shaking his head hard and thrusting the angry feeling away from him. "What's wrong, Hinata?! You're crying! Don't cry, Hinata, what's wrong?!"

By now, they had the attention of everyone else. Shikamaru stepped protectively in front of Temari, fearing the worst. Kiba sauntered over and stepped between Naruto and Hinata, smirking. Akamaru backed up and bristled.

"You made her cry, dobe," Kiba sneered. "See? I told you you were no good."

Naruto struggled to remain calm. "Don't make me thrash you like last time, Kiba."

"Is that a threat, fox boy?"

"Maybe, tick-head!"

"St-stop it," Hinata sniffed, wiping her eyes hard on her sleeve and moving past Kiba. "N-Naruto-k-kun didn't do an-anything to m-make me c-cry. I-I'm jut sort of s-sad, be-because...um..."

"Why are you upset, Hinata?" Naruto was looking at her earnestly. Hinata looked at her feet and mumbled something about the riddle.

"Huh?"

"I-I just r-realized s-something...W-when Naruto-kun got mad."

Kakashi, inwardly relieved to have avoided another fight, motioned for everyone to sit down and looked at Hinata gently. "Well, let's hear it, then."

"U-Um...C-can y-you re-recite it again, Yamato-san?"

Yamato scratched his head, but nodded and complied. "_To the place beyond the map_

_The one of broken seal must go._

_After the first, one month will last,_

_Across the flaming sea, row._

_Face he who watches without his eyes,_

_Together explore a future's past._

_And out of eight, _

_Who wish no bye,_

_Out of eight,_

_one will die._"

Hinata bit her lip again. "Th-that's...what I was afraid of..."

Sakura persisted, "Afraid of _what_, Hinata?"

When Hinata looked up, her eyes were uncharacteristically steely. When she spoke, there was no stutter. "It says that we're going to the place beyond the map. That would be the location of the Oni Yotogi no Gokuin. The next bit is about one month, and that's how long someone-or something will last. I think 'the first' is referring to Naruto-kun's first attack."

The others stared. It was odd enough to see Hinata so in-charge of the situation, lacking even a stammer in her voice. What really put them into shock was her notion of the riddle. It had been two days, this being their third, since they'd left Konoha. Two days after Naruto's attack. It would take them anotehr two to reach the volcanoes-and entire week gone. Three left, and who knew who much longer it would be to make it to the Gokuin?

"If this is true," Kakashi said, slowly, his eye narrowed in concentration. "Then we have about three weeks left. And what you're saying is leading me to my own conclusions about the attacks."

"That's right," Sakura mused, "And the second attack was much worse then the other one..." She stared hard at Naruto, thinking. "If the attacks become more frequent and worse everytime, we're going to have a major problem on our hands."

Naruto fidgeted uncomfortably. "I...haven't felt suckish like the first day, and besides from nearly losing my cool a second there, I haven't gotten too angry."

About half the people in the circle glared at Kiba out of the corner of their eyes, Hinata trying to avoid eye contact as the hooded boy leapt up indignantly.

"It ain't my fault!" he retorted, snarling. "If Uzumaki loses his temper, it isn't my problem!"

"Usually, though," Neji commented quietly ,making everyone turn to look at him. "You have said something to instigate Naruto. Right?" TenTen nodded and reminded Kiba of how the first disruption started.

"...Come to think of it," she said, "What were you two even arguing about in the first place?"

Naruto suddenly turned bright red, and Kiba stiffened. "Nothing!" they both said, far too hastily. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Well, that was the most serious conversation of 'nothing' I've ever seen."

Kiba muttered under his breath about way too nosy nothings being mentioned and stalked off. Akamaru huffed and refused to move form the warm flame. Kiba peered hard at the canine, before dashing over to his own pack and violently shoving everything back inside it.

"Kiba-kun, wh-what are y-you doing?!" Hinata exclaimed. Her stuttered had returned, but to hear her shouting was too much for Lee and Gai, who started proclaiming how youthful she had suddenly become. They went ignored.

"Moving on," Kiba gruffed, shouldering the pack. "One fire isn't going to keep us. The sun hasn't completely set yet, we should find a cave or something. I don't want to freeze to death here, do you?"

Reluctantly, the others put out the fire, causing Akamaru to puff up with exasperation as they repacked. The jonin sighed, and Kakashi seemed entirely aloof, his thoughts elsewhere. Soon, they were inevitably moving again, both Shikamaru and Temari complaining for a minute that they had just gotten that fire going, for crying out loud!

The sky turned from red-orange, abandoning it's splendid hues, and darkening to violet as one or two far-off stars appeared. A large, sandy hill was found, and Kiba and Akamaru used Gatsuuga to drill a wide, airy cave into it (what was used to keep the loosely packed walls form caving in, no one wanted to ask). After an hour or so of light jokes and humorous stories being swapped, Gai once again volunteered for first watch as TenTen was the fist to drop off to sleep. As the night progressed, the others followed her example, Neji being woken to take over guard duty once, but nothing else caused the group to stir.

One of the shinobi's sleep, however, was not entirely peaceful. Naruto was tossing furtively in his sleeping bag, moaning softly and twitching. The Kyuubi laughed at him in his nightmare, loving his newfound power.

"**Hello, brat," **he hissed, watching Naruto struggle with an army of rotting corpses in his nightmare, **"I wonder what secrets I can get out of you..."**

"Leave me alone!" dream Naruto shouted, and the real him murmured it again in his sleep. "Leave me alone..."

"**Ha!" **Kyuubi crowed, making the army advance and pushing Naruto farther back against the bars of his cage. **"Why don't you be good and just release me? It will save **_**so **_**much trouble."**

"Screw it, I'm not doing anything for you!"

Kyuubi laughed mirthlessly, his crimson eyes glowing as he swiped his tongue across his lips. An image of Orochimaru appeared before the boy, leering manically and holding a body...clothed in a blue shirt, bearing the Uchiha symbol...Orochimaru brought his hand to his face and pulled away a corner of his skin, revealing Sasuke's dark, black eyes underneath. Dream Naruto clenched his fists so hard one of them cracked, and real Naruto shouted aloud.

"**You won't, huh?"**

Naruto gritted through his teeth, "I'm not an idiot, you know. I can tell it's fake."

"**Well then. Perhaps harming the Uchiha isn't enough. Maybe I should show you what you'll look like killing the girl."**

"Say what?"

Hinata was suddenly there, right there in front of him, looking terrified of the Kyuubi behind him. "N-Naruto-kun..."

"Hinata!" dream Naruto exclaimed, falling for the act. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I-I..."

Suddenly ,a shadowy figure appeared behind her, and red, oozing blood splattered dream Naruto's clothes. Hinata looked down in surprise at the kunai sticking out of her guy, and a trickle or red came out of her mouth before slowly falling forwards.

"HINATA!!!!!!!"

"**Heh, fool..."**

The Kyuubi hadn't opened his massive maw. It was the man lurking in the shadows, and dream Naruto howled and lurched forward, grabbing his arm and yanking him into the light. His snarl of fury vanished, and he stared in horror.

The nightmare him grinned and licked his blood-stained lips. His eyes were terribly slanted, and permanently crimson. His long claws were jagged, and his clothes were flowing and black. His whiskers were much, much thicker then ever before. A thin haze of red surrounded him like a cloak, and his hair stuck up at insane angles. He laughed.

"**Why care for her? That was **_**way **_**too easy..."**

"No," dream Naruto whispered, backing away. He shook his head viciously and squinched his eyes shut. "It's a dream...its a dream...its a _nightmare_...its not real..."

"**It's going to be," **hissed the nightmare, and his leering face swelled. Hinata's body flickered, and a pale specter of her stared at Naruto with accusing eyes.

"No!"

The laughter of the Kyuubi and the evil version of himself rang in his ears. The sleeping, real Naruto was thrashing wildly, snarling and muttering and moaning. His head lashed from side to side, and his muted mumblings rose in pitch.

The dream dissolved, and Naruto sat up in bed, eyes wild, clutching his head desperately and moaning.

The oppressive heaviness blotched out Sakura's pleasant dream of the Team Seven days, and her eyes flickered open. The pink-headed girl had about one second to gasp at the sight before her before an invisible force picked her up and flung her bodily to the side. By now, the entire camp was waking and being driven back by the insane killing force emanating form one person.

Naruto sat rigid in his sleeping bag, staring at his balled fists and yowling as spirals of thick, evil red chakra whipped in the air above him.

-

**Author's Note: **Woah! Okay, even I have to admit, that was gory...

Kiba: And it just started, didn't it?

Me: Ummmm...

Kiba: Damn.

ME: Well, keep reading-if you want. No, just kidding, that was a command. KEEP. READING. DAMMIT.

Kiba: O,O

Akamaru: I say, you chaps are starting to bally well scare me, wot!

Us: O,O?!

Me: Huh. This is probably a sign of how much sugar I've had, buuuuuuttttt...I don't really care. Byes!

Kiba: Help. Me.


	9. Solemn Departures

**Disclaimer: **I. am. not. Kishimoto. Got it? Good.

Walk Like a Shinobi

Swirling bands of incandescent chakra whipped into a tornado above Naruto's head, and TenTen screamed as one flew down to rake across her thigh. Ino attempted to stand, but was blown over backwards and sent tumbling the second she got to her feet. Naruto's mouth was open, his eyes wide and dilated—if he was screaming, they couldn't hear it through the rush of blazing hot wind surrounding him.

Kakashi was crouching, shielding his eyes with one arm and reaching for his kunai pouch with another. He had brought an entire booklet of seals with him, and he hoped desperately that he wouldn't have to use them every other day. He fingers flipped the pouch open, and he actually managed to grab a seal before Naruto's head snapped up to glare at him.

One of the thick tails of energy spiked towards Kakashi, who swore and tucked into a front flip. No sooner had he landed then a blast of scorching air gusted his poofy silver hair flat against his skull. The jonin reached jerkingly to pull up his headband, but something else stopped him in his tracks. The burning wind had come to a standstill, and the air was heavy. Kakashi's body refused to move, and a quick look out of the corner of his eye told him that no one else could either.

Naruto's killing intent swept across the sand hills, cold and unnerving. Kakashi gasped, as, suddenly, it was lifted form him. For a half-second, he felt relieved—until he realized that it had simply been redirected at one person.

Kiba.

The Inuzuka felt stiff with something strange. What was the word...??? Sakon had questioned why he seemed to have none, three years ago...Ah. That's right. Fear. Kiba's muscles twitched spastically as he tried to damp down the rising terror, the feeling of loathing squeezing like stony fingers around his heart...

Naruto's hand was outstretched, and when he spoke, it rolled from his suddenly bleeding lips like all the pain in the world had been packed into one word, **"You."**

Only one pair of eyes wasn't staring horrifiedly at Naruto as he rose and took slow, measured steps toward his victim. Hinata's lavender eyes were stretched wide, she couldn't understand what was going on. What was wrong with everyone?! Why did they look so scared!? This was Naruto, they had to do _something_! Why were they all just _standing _there, watching him?! She turned pleadingly to Sakura, who was still the closest to Naruto.

"Sakura-chan!" she called, "We h-have to do something!"

Sakura started at her through the corner of her eyes, her face completely white. Stumbling to stand, Hinata rushed through the other and shook Sakura's arm violently. The Hyuuga heiress gasped when a pocket of ice cold swallowed her, and she took a step back. They were all...frozen...so, she was the only one who...???

Without warning, Hinata rushed forward. Kiba made a sound in his throat, and Akamaru howled. Naruto's head turned slowly around, but not before Akamaru, being a canine and not having been included in the tidal wave of killer intent, scrambled to his paws and charged Naruto.

Once again, the boy caught Akamaru mid-leap with terrifying ease, and flicked his hand to send the dog flying. Akamaru broke his fall in a roll and snarled at Naruto, barking loudly. The Kyuubi pulled Naruto's features into an eerie grin as he listened. Suddenly, the sound of his voice deepened, sounding like someone else entirely.

"**What? This kid?" **Naruto waved his hand in an uncaring way towards the petrified Kiba, who, if he could talk, would've probably said, 'What the fuck?'. **"What do you mean, 'What did he do?'? You should be asking this boy that, not me."**

A collective gasp would've exploded form the remaining 12 ninja. The _Kyuubi _was _speaking _through Naruto! That should under no terms be able to happen! Kyuubi grinned wider.

"**Hahahahaha! Oh, that was priceless. I can just **_**feel **_**how shocked you all are right now. Ne, **_**Hinata-chan**_**?" **Naruto's head swiveled to stare mockingly at Hinata, who clenched her fists to stop them from trembling.

"No," she whispered, "I knew you weren't Naruto doing this. Let him go."

"**Or what?" **He actually sounded curious.

"Or...I'll make you swallow that seal!" she burst out, angry like she never had been before. Where the Hel did that come from? "Naruto-kun isn't like that. What've you been doing to him?"

Kyuubi chuckled evilly. **"That's a surprise, from you—The kid seems to have an image of you stuttering and twiddling with your fingers imprinted on his mind. Wonder why he cares about you."**

Plain surprise slapped itself across Hinata's face. "N-Naruto-kun...cares about me?"

The face leered at her. **"Oh, **_**yes**_**," **he said, relishing the moment.** "In fact, he nearly tore himself up inside when I pretended to kill you. Haha, what fun it'll be to make him watch the **_**real **_**Hyuuga Hinata killed by his own hands!"**

Hinata couldn't help herself; she was shaking. Something warm started to well up in her eyes, and she blinked hard to push it back. "S-Stop."

He laughed again. **"Don't worry—the brat really is pissed at the Inuzuka. So he goes first!"**

Akamaru leapt into a Gatsuuga, not nearly fast enough, and Naruto's kunai stuck into Kiba's skin at the collar bone. Kiba's grunt of pain was mute, but Kyuubi leered and pressed hard, digging the knife in farther, then beginning to yank it downwards, closer to the heart...

The second the blade connected, Hinata realized she had no choice. It took a split second to call up her chakra, and one more to dart forward, under Naruto's arm, in front of Kiba, knocking the kunai away and making it one of the most accurate attacks she had ever launched.

"**Juuken!**"

Naruto's face showed no change for a second, except to stare down at her balefully. Then, one eyebrow twitched, and the red began to fade from Uzumaki's irises. Naruto swayed with a low moan. All at once, the hold the chakra had arrested on the others was gone, and those who had been standing—Kakashi, Kiba, and Sakura—collapsed gratefully. Akamaru crouched, bristling and looking ready to tear someone's throat out, besides Kiba, his eyes not leaving Naruto for a second. Hinata released the pressure of her chakra and pulled her hand back form the tenketnus at Naruto's chakra center.

The blonde fell into her limply, and she managed to hold him up until Neji appeared and shoved him away. Lee caught Naruto before he hit the ground and started admonishing Neji for being so careless. Hinata sunk to her knees, and a few tears coursed silently down her cheeks.

-

Only a half mile away, Aburame Shino paused. What in the...??? The glasses-wearing shinobi found himself tense. Forcing his muscles to relax, he took an extra moment to calm the bugs scurrying madly throughout his frame. When he brought one out to tell him what was wrong, the insect only continued to scramble in crazy circles across his palm, jabbering about crimson light and twitching antennae frantically. Shino looked at the moon; still another few hours until daylight. He could carry on. Traveling by night was his strategy—sure, in the desert it was numbingly cold, but the bugs kept him warm, and hidden. Withdrawing the small beetle, he pressed on. What ever it was, he was more then likely to find out.

Shino's orders, after all, were to follow them until the reached the volcanoes before making himself known.

-

Silence reigned at breakfast.

No one spoke. Every last one of the ninja had been awake already before dawn, unable to catch even another wink of sleep. Kiba sat by himself, one hand resting on his propped-up knee, his eyes staring at a point on the ground. TenTen was moving stiffly, a thin gauze covering a poultice on her left thigh.

Hinata had refused to leave Naruto's side, and Neji was pacing back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, never stopping for a second as Sakura finished bending Naruto's hands. They were red and raw, bleeding form thin slits like papercuts. After everyone had eaten without speaking to one another, Kakashi said one word, "Go."

They split up into their groups, and this time, Naruto (having woken shortly after one of Hinata's leftover tears had landed on him), did not complain about the pace, nor the fact that they weren't stopping for lunch.

At evening, they made it to the Iwa border, and a few sad, muttered goodbyes were all that was said to Temari and Kankurou (after a short, plaintive argument between Temari and Shikamaru, who was insisting that they could send a message back to Suna and Temar-erm, the Sand Sibs, could accompany them the rest of the way.).

The Konoha shinobi continued on, all of them mingling together loosely. Supper was short, silent, and not at all filling. Naruto separated himself form the others without a word and lay down in the shadow of a rock. Kiba had similarly chosen a spot away fomr the group, and Gai was again the first to take watch.

No one managed to get much sleep that night.

-

Golden light, completely contrasting with the mood of Uzumaki Naruto, filtered over the horizon. The camp stirred quietly, and Naruto himself wordlessly shouldered his pack. A plan had been made between the Jonin. They were to take their groups onto a specific route to Iwa's capital, and report to the others with coded signals at noon. They were all painfully aware, and it did almost nothing at all to improve their solemn moods, that crossing into Iwa without permission could have very bad results. As soon as the capital was insight, an entirely different ruse was planned to get them in.

After all, to many nights on the ground could be bad for you, it was said. A small smile played about Naruto's lips, and he looked at the others. He sighed exaggeratedly.

"Let's go!" the blonde shouted suddenly, causing nearly everyone to jump. He received a few glares, a couple of eye brows raised, and one or two gratefully smiles, which he all answered with a toothy grin. Kakashi commented that he hadn't been told of Naruto taking over the mission, which made Naruto laugh, and then nodded once.

Four groups of swiftly moving blurs blasted off through the Iwagakure sky.


	10. Feathers and Static

**Disclaimer: **Swirly is Swirly, NOT Masashi Kishimoto. End of story, so Swirly says...and why am I talking in third person!? GAH! _falls over _Oi. Stupid disclaimer...

Naruto: Finally! Are you aware tomorrow makes it one whole freaking month since you've updated this?!

ME: No! Not again! GOMENASAIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!

Kakashi: Clam down, we get it, just start typing already!

ME: _grabs the characters like they're pencils and runs off _

All of them: WHAT THE HEL!?

-

Walk Like a Shinobi

_Fwish._

_Fwish, fwish._

One after another, the nin landed and almost immediately rocketed off again. They were staying in a tightly packed line formation, not allowing any leeway whatsoever, not stopping or slowing. The one in front glanced over his shoulder only briefly before turning around again and putting a finger to his ear and his radio.

_Crrrrackle_.

Over the static, the man on the other side of the connection tuned in.

_Chhhhh. _"Can you hear me?"

"Roger." _Chhh-hhh-ccchhh!!!_

"I'm here, too, sempai." _Cccc!_

_Ca-ca-ca-ca-caaaaaaacc!!!! _"I as well. The radio connection in Iwa is faulty, though, dammit." The last response, from a quite voice, sounded irritated. The first man didn't ask why, but the third person complied with the younger man through the radio.

_Chhhhh..._ "It's because of all the rock. So many mountains in the way of the transmittance."

"Use fewer words. No names. If someone is listening into this, we're in trouble," the first man cautioned them.

"Hai." _CHHH!!!_

_Chicchichachhhchcchchchchchhhhhh...!!! _"Yessir, sempai."

"Understood."

"Good." _Chhhhchaaaa... _"Then you all know what we're doing?"

Three simultaneous 'Hai!'s greeted him, and the first speaker nodded. Waiting for the interference to quite, he quickly said, "Good. Keep moving. Wait for the time. If you don't see the signal, don't do anything and hide."

"Right."

"Understood, sempai."

"Of course."

_Haaaaaaccccahhhhh... _"Perfect." Not saying anything else, Kakashi switched his radio off. In they're groups, Gai, Yamato (who was actually by himself right then), and then Neji switched off their's as well. The procession carried on in silence as the afternoon waned.

Ten minutes till noon, Kakashi held his hand up to signal a halt. Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Hinata stopped behind him, and he stood up. Nodding once and pointing forward, the younger ninja camouflaged themselves. Sakura and Sai went on ahead, Hinata took a longer way around, and Naruto waited with Kakashi. After a half minute, the distinctive sound of a croaking bullfrog reached their ears. The two sped off.

Halting at the appointed destination with the others, they waited until the sun had crawled to it's peak. So far, so good.

Removing one of the sparklers from his pack, Kakashi beckoned Naruto forward. The orange ninja placed his hands on the device and poured a bit of his chakra into it. Kakashi nodded to say it was enough, and Naruto shook his hands, hopping around silently, looking about ready to explode. Kakashi rolled his one visible eye and lit the sparkler and twirled it in his hands, tossing it swiftly to Sakura, who used all of her strength to hurl it into the atmosphere.

_Fwoom._

The sound of the implosion was only as loud as a whisper, considering how far the rigged-up sparkler had flown. But it was loud enough. Shouting came from a bit ahead of them, and the Konoha nin quickly hid themselves.

Four Iwa chuunin shot past, heading east, in the direction Sakura had thrown the sparkler. Kakashi waited a nano second more to check there was no others behind them, and the group shot forward, around a corner of limestone and down the passageway the Iwa agents had come through.

Two lithe green shapes and a head of tousled brown hair joined them, running in silence. The large white dog beside the newcomers ran strangely, elongated, to prevent his claws form clacking against the rock floor.

Only a second more passed before a grey-eyed boy, a girl with two hair-buns, a slim man and a bulky man fell in behind them. They could all see the distant figure of Yamato waiting for them.

Kakashi's hands blurred as he signed to Yamato, _'Are we all clear?'_

'_Yes,'_ Yamato signed back. Gai's considerable brows brew together.

'_So everything has worked?'_

'_So it would seem,' _answered Kakashi. _'Iwa nin are supposed to have exceptionally good hearing but poorer eyesight. We still need to hurry, though. In five more minutes, another batch of guards will replace those others who ran off. We need to conceal ourselves in side the village by then.'_

'_Got it,' _signed Gai, nodded curtly. It would take them two minutes to reach the village of Iwa inside it's mountain fortress without delay, but working up the chakra to create a decent Henge would mark their presence to any Iwa ANBU in the area. So they had to do it the in the mountain passageway, before they reached the town.

The end of the tunnel came into sight as they rounded a corner. Grouping back together and sticking close to the walls, the three jonin (Kakashi, Yamato, and Neji, cause Gai can't use ninjutsu), did a variety of handsigns and swiftly rapped each of their group mates on the arm. With the exception of Kiba, Akamaru, Gai, and Lee, all someone would be able to see was a flock of olive-green birds zooming along extraordinarily close to the ground. Gai's group leapt to gain altitude, and vanished among the cliff tops.

The birds split in two directions and soared over the low houses of Iwa.

-

**Author's Note: **Yeah, I know, boring chapter, sorry! _sighs _Action in the next one, I swear! So stay tuned, and no, I will not take an almost-month to update this time...a week, tops, but most likely tomorrow. Notice, I said MOST LIKELY. It's my spring break, so I might and I should, cause I'm at home with nothing to do. Ah well, you'll all get what's coming to you...most likely very, very soon...bwhahahahaaaaaa...


	11. Raining Rocks and Blockheads

Disclaimer: Nope

**Disclaimer: **Nope. STILL not Masashi Kishimoto. Good enough for ya'?

Naruto: I GOT EXACTLY ZERO LINES LAST CHAPTER! NONE! ZIP!

Kyuubi: STOP SHOUTING! YOU'RE HURTING MY EARS!

Naruto: WHY DON'T YOU COME OUT AND MAKE ME!?

Kyuubi: YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW TEMPTING THAT OFFER IS!

Naruto: OH, I THINK I DO!

Kyuubi: I THINK I'VE GONE DEAF!

Me: WOULD YOU TWO BOTH KINDLY SHUT UP!?

Naruto/Kyuubi: FINE!

Me: GOOD! NOW ON WITH THE FREAKING CHAPTER! DAMN!

Kakashi : ..._staring at us _

Me/Naruto/Kyuubi: WHAT'RE YOU LOOKING AT!?

Kakashi: _sigh_ Since you're probably wondering, Swirly isn't pissed at anything. But the shouting match started and she couldn't resist! Heh heh heh!

Me: GRR!!

Kakashi: Oh, yeah, and we're sorry we've wasted you're time. : )

-

Walk Like a Shinobi

The squad of birds coasted into a clearing on the far side of Iwa's town square, most of them hopping awkwardly for a landing and milling they're wings about. One in particular seemed to have trouble remembering not to _run_, because he was a _bird_.

Squawking irritably, the bird in question looked in an annoyed way to the one flyer in the flock who hadn't had trouble landing. Kakashi chuckled wryly, but it came out as more of a hacking cackle. Naruto, the annoyed bird, puffed out his feathers huffily and brought a wing to his beak. Kakashi guessed that that would be the Naruto-bird version of thumbing his nose at the disguised jonin.

Still amused at the disgusted look on Naruto's...beak...as the genin-bird nearly stumbled over a pebble, Kakashi undid the jutsu and sat back on his haunches, watching the going-ons with enjoyment.

"Yech!" Naruto said, making a face and flapping his arms around. Then he realized what he was doing and locked his arms firmly at his side, glaring at Kakashi. "Did you have to make us into _birds_? Couldn't I have been a mouse?"

"I don't think you're much of a mouse, Naruto," Sai mused, putting a finger to his chin. "More like a fox."

Naruto glared at Sai. "Oh, very funny."

Sai blinked, completely clueless. "What? What did I say?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Naruto, we had to be birds because it would've made things much easier when it comes to travel. Right, Kakashi-sensei?" She turned to her instructor expectantly. He shrugged.

"Maaaaa," he drawled, leaning back against a boulder. "Actually, that's not much to the logic. It was also because that was the only transformation Yamato, Neji, and I could agree on." He smiled blithely, and the effect was not lost, even under the mask.

"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto stated, glaring at his teacher, "There are times when I really don't like you."

Kakashi chuckled again, and Hinata giggled at Sakura's stricken face. "That's ALL?!" the pink-haired girl exclaimed, eyebrows shooting up on her forehead. "Sensei, you have got to be kidding me!"

He was, but Kakashi wasn't about to let them know that. "Hmmm, well, who knows, eh?"

As Sakura stammered to say something, Hinata had to clap a hand over her mouth to stop from dissolving into helpless giggles. Sai looked bemused in general, and Naruto crossed his arms. "Seriously, Sensei!" he complained, plopping down on the ground. "Why _**birds**_!? There has _got _to be a better reason then that! And why were we all _green_? What kind of bird is _green_, anyways?!"

Kakashi winked. "The Konoha kind, obviously, Naruto. Didn't you learn anything in the academy?" Kakashi winked again, at Hinata, who stifled a laugh and jumped into the charade.

"Y-yeah, Naruto-kun, you've never s-seen a green bird in K-Konoha before?"

Naruto looked shocked. "Hinata, too? Aw, man!"

As the younger patrons of his group bantered and talked among themselves, Kakashi was working up another jutsu. Making the hands seals swiftly, he stood up and rapped Naruto sharply on the head.

"Ow!" the boy exclaimed, staring up at his sensei and massaging his skull. "What was that for?"

"Oh, nothing," Kakashi replied, doing the same to Sakura, Hinata, and Sai.

"Sensei..." she growled, cracking her fingers in a way she had picked up from Tsunade.

Kakashi held his hands up in appeal. "Ah, alright, just calm down. Why don't you all take a look at yourselves, ne?"

Grumbling about erratic sensei's, Naruto dug out a small shard of mirror from his pack. It was to check around corners when during an attack, but he figured it would work here too. Naruto held it up to the light, took one look at himself and gasped.

"Woah!" he barked, patting his cheeks, "Cool! So _that's _what you were doin', sensei!"

Sakura snatched it from him and looked at her self, marveling at the changes. Taking looks at themselves in the shard, each of the others smiled as well.

Naruto's bright, poofy yellow hair had changed to a tawny tan color, and the lines on his cheeks had been replaced with Iwa-native war paint. Instead of his orange-and-black get-up, he was in a simple loose t-shirt made of white fabric that was a little scratchy on his skin. Simple kakis replaced the bottom of his suit, and his headband now resembled a simple wrap of white cloth. The only thing about our Jinchurriki that was the same were his standard blue sandals, and his bright blue eyes.

Hinata was now garbed in a simple pair of shorts and a light tan t-shirt, her long hair now shorter and paler. Sakura's outfit matched Hinata's, and her hair had deepened to a shade of red. Sai, for the most part, looked the same, except that he was wearing a light tan jacket. Kakashi looked every inch the Iwa jonin. The children were all wearing the white cloths and in replacement of their forehead protectors.

"Hey, sensei," Sakura ventured, "Why can we only see the differences in the mirror? I mean, everyone here looks fine, just like they usually do, until I catch their reflection in the glass."

Naruto scratched his head. "Oh yeah! Why is that, sensei?"

"So we can recognize each other, but the population of Iwa _can't_," Kakashi informed them. "The reason you all have the white bandannas is because Iwa has a small...gang problem. Since you're all wearing them, you can pass off as a new gang bunch. People will want to avoid you, just in case. To everyone outside of the group on our mission, they'll only see the you in the mirror." He paused. "Oh, yeah, and avoid reflective surfaces. They could give you away to the populace."

Naruto nodded curtly, complaints forgotten as he stood up. "Roger! Let's go!"

Stepping in front of him pointedly, Kakashi took the lead. Naruto grumbled a bit but followed dutifully past the last few streets of town.

It wasn't until they came to a small bride spanning one of the only rivers in Iwa that they were given away.

Kakashi saluted lazily to the two Chuunin standing guard at the bridge, commenting airily that he had been assigned to round up any troublemakers that day, since he had been injured (an _internal_ injury, he stressed, since he looked just fine) and wasn't allowed any missions higher than D rank. The Chuunin nodded sympathetically, and didn't notice how the group of "gang" kids were careful to stay in the middle of the bridge, avoiding the water.

In fact, if one of them hadn't sneezed right then, they might not have looked down at all.

"Ah...ah..._phlachhooo_!" He wiped his nose on his sleeve and blinked at his partner, who was glaring at him. "Oh...sorry..."

"What kind of Chuunin does that?" demanded the other man, rolling his eyes skyward and thinking, _Why the Hel did I get stuck with this idiot? _

"Okay, I'll just wipe my nose on you next time, how bout that?" retorted Sneezy, earning himself a glare and a smack upside the head.

"Moron," muttered his partner.

"Owwwch..." whimpered the fine specimen of Iwa Chuunin. Sneezy blinked and squinched his eyes shut, lowering his head and massaging the back of it. When he opened his eyes, he thought for a moment how clear the water was that day. Then, he blinked and stared at the reflections of the Jounin and gang who had just passed. "Wait a second...Hey, you lot! Wait up!"

Kakashi, of course, did not wait up. "Move!"

And his team, of course, did not hesitate to speed up. The two Chuunin, both now aware that something was wrong, were loping along the planking after them, shouting out orders to halt.

Then Sneezy saw their headband's reflections in the water. "Hey! Their Konoha nin!"

And _that_, of course, was the group's que to start running.

Takoto, Sneezy's partner, had other ideas. "**Iwa ude no jutsu**!"

Kakashi and Sai dove to one side, while Sakura jumped high to avoid the shooting arks of rock and Hinata and Naruto threw themselves flat. Springing to his feet, Naruto already had the first two syllables out of his mouth when Kakashi snapped, "Don't attack them, we don't need to start a war!"

Naruto ground his teeth but cancelled the Kage Bunshin no jutsu he had been about to use and whirled around, grabbing Hinata's wrist and started running after Kakashi and Sai. A new set of stone arms were reaching after them with frightening speeds. Sakura landed nimbly behind them and curled her hand into a fist.

With a loud _BOOM, _fist met stone, and stone exploded into large chunks of shale, raining down on the surprised Chuunin and peppering the fleeing ninja. Sneezy (whose real name was Tamaishi), saw the rocks that were tumbling down and crashing to the earth, and did three quick hand seals.

Taking a deep breath, he focused on the Konoha nin and said, "**Doton, yurasu kyanon no jutsu**!"

Almost immediately, the falling rocks seemed to be arrested of their momentum and hung for a moment in space. Then, a particularly large one rocketed forward and crashed into the spot Sakura had been in a nanosecond earlier, plummeting straight through the wooden framework of the bridge and splashing in the water below.

Sakura made a mental note that, when fighting Iwa ninja, never to give them more rocks to work with.

Now every loose stone from pebbles to mid-sized boulders were shooting at the ninja, and it was all they could do to dodge them. Takoto, mildly impressed with Tamaishi's work, decided to help him out a little bit. Kakashi saw what was coming by the handseal's he made, and ordered everyone to keep moving.

Kakashi himself turned around to face the Chuunin and formed the seals as quick as he could to negate the oncoming attack. The two ninja shouted it at almost the same time.

"**Doton, okkanai yurasu nami no jutsu**!"

Simultaneously, the earth in front of both ninja pitched and heaved, rearing up and hurtling towards each other. The two stone waves met with a rumbling _CRASH_, Kakashi's smaller wave being reduce to rubble on the spot. The larger mass of racing stone was crunched and broken, but was only partially slowed down. Kakashi wasted no time in making one more desperate attempt to slow the opposition down and slammed his palms into the earth at his feet. "**Yurasu kabi**!"

A wall shot up out of the hard-packed ground, and Kakashi decided safe was better than sorry. "**Yurasu yoroi no jutsu**!" Kakashi placed his now stone-shielded hands palm-flat against the wall he had made and waited for impact.

_WHAM!_

_CRUNCH!_

_CCHHHHRRRRAAAA-K-K-KKKK!!_

The wall just barely held, and Kakashi was positive he had just dislocated a shoulder, but hit undid the protective armour jutsu with relief and left the wall standing as he turned on his heels and dashed off.

-

Seeing their quarry get away, Tamaishi was pissed. "Aw man!" he bellyached, "We never get to capture anybody! Owch!"

Takoto dusted his hands off from where he had smacked Tamaishi's hard head. "You idiot. Go inform the ANBU of what's happened and tell the guard at the gate. Get them to assign somebody else by the bridge and don't wait up. I'm following them."

Having said so, he jumped away, leaving Tamaishi pouting in the dust.

"Well, fine!" the brilliant one shouted after him. "Take the spotlight, I don't care! OW!"

Tamaishi was lucky his head was so hard to receive the chucked stone that clobbered his head.

"YOU IDIOT!"

-

Kakashi let Sakura heal his shoulder, but refused to allow more then four minutes of rest for the team. Naruto scowled at him.

"Don't attack, huh?" he smirked. "So what was the wave thing?"

Sakura glared at him. "To counter the Chuunin's wave, dumbass!"

"Oh."

"In any case,' stated Kakashi, flexing his shoulder once and wincing. "We need to move. I'll leave a sign for Yamamoto and Neji when they get to the meeting place to tell them we're being pursued."

"I-I can see them..." Hinata announced, narrowing her eyes and pushing her Byakugan further. "One's coming this way...the other is going back...He'll be here in about six minutes the speed he's at r-right now..."

Kakashi nodded. "Good. Then we can be six minutes ahead of him. No stopping, no slowing down. We're outta here!"

He was answered by four immediate barks of, "Hai!", and they were gone.

-

Tamaishi had wasted no time in informing the ANBU and the off-duty Jounin of the incident, and then complaining when he was told to stay in the village. Ignored as usual, three Iwa Jounin who were moving _much_ faster then Takoto had sped out of the village, the large hawks who served as trackers calling out and winging fast after their prey.

-

**Author's Note: **Cliff hanger! Dun dun dun!!

Yes, I know, and I'm sorry that this is MUCH later then I said it would be—Writer's block is a terrible thing. -.-" So, for those of you who are wondering, here are the jutsu translations-

**Iwa ude no jutsu **equals **Rock arm jutsu**

**Doton, yurasu kyanon no jutsu **equals **Earth style, rock cannon jutsu**

**Doton, okkanai yurasu nami no jutsu **equals **Earth style, huge rock wave jutsu**

**Yurasu kabi! **equals **Rock wall!**

**Yurasu yoroi no jutsu **equals **Rock armor jutsu**

And yes, they are all made up. To make it up to you guys for the wait, expect to more chapters this weekend! If not more! YAYYYY! And if I don't put them up, flame me. :P

Naruto: No problem there whatsoever.

Me: **duct tapes his mouth **See ya!

Naruto: MMMGGGFFF!


	12. Where's Takoto?

Disclaimer: No

**Disclaimer: **No. Iie. Non. I'm NOT the owner of Naruto. I am simply yet another obsessed fangirl in the world of them, here to express my creativity. Now is that really so bad? : P Nah, I didn't think so.

Me: Hi! I bet you all think I'm late with this chapter, huh? Heh heh, well you're WRONG! : P I've got a four-day weekend this week (WOOT!) because it's the end of the grading period. **Gulp **D-d-damn math class...Heh, WHO SAID I'M NERVOUS!?

Naruto: Ummm...Not...me??

Kakashi: ...I vote we get on with the chapter before Swirly explodes again.

_BOOM._

Them: ...

Kakashi: ...Ah, shoot.

Naruto: Now what?

Kakashi: Just roll with the chapter Naruto...smile and wave...

Naruto: 'Kay.

-

Walk Like a Shinobi

Sweat dripped off Neji's brow as he sucked in lungfulls of air. His keen Byakugan had picked up the fleeing chakra signatures of Kakashi's group minutes ago, and he had driven his team on relentlessly to be at the Iwa wastelands before them to avoid being caught in the crossfire. He looked to TenTen, with her aptability to summon bird, and asked, still sounding calm and placid, if the hawk she had sent to Gai had made it yet.

TenTen shook her head. "No. I sent Jiki-san to Kakashi-san first, to tell him we were on our way.

Neji nodded one and stood. It had only been a half-minute break, but he wasn't stopping any longer. Chouji, more than the rest of them, looked exhausted. Neji tossed him a pack of food-pills and waited while the Akamichi swallowed one before reassembling the squads position and shooting off again.

Statistic as he was, Neji knew it was crucial to have a place to hide in the wastelands before the Iwa nin realized that not five, but _fifteen_ Konoha nin were in their territory.

No, because THAT would most certainly not be good. He didn't need to turn around and ask Shikamaru about that one.

-

"D-D-Damn it," swore Kiba, gasping for air to rant as he pelted along beside Gai, Akamaru, and Lee. "It's all—Uzumaki's—fault! He probably got caught being st-stupid again and he—! "

"Kiba-kun," Lee cut him off. Like his sensei, the spandex-boy was not having so much problems breathing as Kiba (must be all those marathons). "Save your breath for running. You will need it."

Akamaru barked and leapt ahead of them, re-asserting his place in the lead. It was the dog's sharp nose that had helped alert the four, without the hawk Jiki to tell them, that the chase was being held and it was a matter of urgency to make it the Iwa wastelands _now_!

Kiba didn't bother to waste his breath to growl. He only sped up.

-

The shimmering air ahead of him made Kakashi nervous. Since when in the Hel was their _evaporation _on Iwa ground during _this_ time of year! Immediately as he felt it, the cold, gripping pressure, Kakashi knew it was genjutsu.

_Dammit!_

A surge of speed was all that he need to inform the ninja behind him that their pursuers had gotten close, and the entire caravan exploded into an all-out race.

Against who?

A small band of Iwa jounin, one Chuunin, and two very adept ANBU.

Not to mention the swarm of circling buzzards and eagles ready to tear them apart, ahead of all the opposing shinobi.

-

When the jounin had sped by, Takoto the Iwa Chuunin had obediently picked up his pace, detecting the chakras of a pair of ANBU only a quarter-mile behind him. Just the fact that they were allowing their chakra signatures to show at all proved that hey were not very concerned about the scouting force of Konoha Genin. Or were they Chuunin? One was most definitely a Jounin, _that_ much he knew.

Feeling a feather of pressure curl down his spine, Takoto involuntarily shuddered. The Jounin weren't being overly careful with that genjutsu of theirs, were they? It made him nervous just thinking about it—especially the unpleasant odds of being held up in it.

Immediately upon having that though, Takoto stopped. He knew entering a Jounin battle would be uncalled for and dangerous, much better on all levels to leave the initial brawl to them. Sighing to himself and peering up at the sky, Takoto dug in his pack for a bit of clay and squished it in his hand, smiling faintly.

When he had still been around as a Iwa Special Jounin, Deidara hadn't been that bad of a guy to listen too about explosives.

Sure, Takoto had to mold it himself, without the aid of hungry hands to do it quickly, but he made sure to do it well when he had the time. Stretching the material around with his fingertips, Takoto envisioned the best fomr he could use in this situation and began crafting the clay in the image of a bird.

No sooner had he begun to pour some of his chakra into it then the pressure suddenly stopped, built up again, and crushed back in on him all at once.

Takoto gasped and dropped the clay, where it rolled to his feet and came to a stop. He looked down at it fearfully, terrified it would explode. But obviously it need _him_ to detonate and he wasn't going to do that, so Takoto tired to relax and use his chakra to signal that everything was okay, he was a fellow Iwa ninja and the Jounin could lift the genjutsu from him.

A hand clamped down on his shoulder, and Takoto spun around bewilderedly to stare at...nothing. The hand was all alone, hanging on to him as it's wrist, hand, and body just wasn't there. Takoto tired to move and found he couldn't. The shape of the hand's owner appeared slowly, as if being painted, and Takoto wished he could shout for help, or at least call out a warning.

"So...you _can_ do it, after all..." said the voice. Takoto tried nodding numbly, not sure what the man was talking about. He couldn't move. He tried demanding what was happening instead.

His attempted interrogation came out more as a, "Mmmfg."

Sinister chuckle and a mouth full of fangs. "Don't worry, little Chuunin...someone very special wants to meet you."

Takoto had time to blink and finally scream, but then he was wrenched away and the genjutsu around the area dissipated. No one had heard him.

-

One small, almost fuzzy-looking dot of chakra on her vision field had simply...vanished.

Hinata furrowed her brow and scanned the area with her Byakugan again, confused. Chakra entities didn't simply just...disappear. Only one person could do that, and she was certain that the Iwa Chuunin who had been following them wasn't him.

She looked one more time. The Chuunin was just...gone.

"Kakashi-san."

"Un," Kakashi grunted in response, just a little bit busy with widening a fissure his team had crossed over to slow down their chasers.

"I think s-something's u-up. On-One of the ni-ninja is g-gone."

"Good," Naruto barked. "Less of a problem for us to worry about."

But Hinata shook her head. "N-No, it isn't l-like that. He's s-simply v-vanished."

On the word 'vanished', Kakashi looked up. Only one person he knew of could slip away fomr the Bykugan's field range like that. "Did you see _his_ chakra signature?"

She shook her head. "No."

Kakashi stood up, silencing Naruto's ready protests. "Then we'll think about it later. The genjutsu is still in affect, and I've just wasted out time. Get moving."

-

Yamato was very confused, but being a ninja, he'd never show that.

All three other groups of his comrades seemed to be moving at top speed away from the village, and there seemed to be six rival ninja chasing them.

Well, there _were _six rival ninja chasing them...now there were only five.

"What the fuck?" he muttered, coasting himself to a stop and taking a moment to gather his chakra. Focusing on his tiger seal handsign and trying to asses what his enemies' abilities were.

He was analyzing the three Jounin when he felt something was wrong.

It was like...there was someone _else _in the surrounding area. Two people, actually, or the feeling of two people. Two people much, much, much stronger then the Iwa Jounin were. And he had already looked at the ANBU.

Yamato pinpointed the spot of the invisible people, and sent a clone to appear in one of the rare Iwa trees. He tut-tutted, seeing the tree was stunted and small, but that was hardly his concern right then. The clone _sluuurppped _up out of the tree bark and slowly rolled his eyeballs around in their sockets to see what was going on.

Almost immediately, the vision was cut off. Yamato was left with the strangest sensation of burning, and realized his clone had been destroyed.

"Ah, great, he's an ANBU member. That's just wonderful. We'll have to take care of him quickly and report back with the Chuunin, or Sasuke-sama going to be pissed."

"Oh, would you shut up, fish-boy? _You_'re the one who wanted to hang around to grab another ninja. Just kill him and get it over with."

"Shut it, Queen Bitch."

"You die later."

Yamato turned around and ducked the kunai that would have impaled him. He allowed himself one nanosecond to look at the faces of his attackers, his eyes widen in shock, and teleport away.

Kakashi had forbid teleporting because the pinprick of chakra it gave off was far too obvious, but that did not matter now. All that mattered was that he told the others what was happening.

And that they all get the fuck outta Iwa homeland as fast as possible.

-

**Author's Note: **Anybody wanna guess what's happening? (I know it was not a very actiony chapter, I needed it to build up for the 'big revelation'...yeah. : P ).

Lol, as you may have guessed, some of the references in here are from the latest manga chapter, so if you're confused, don't worry about it. Possible spoilers later on, beware if you aren't up-to-date. (Basically, the real name of a certain orange-mask-wearing someone...Yes, I am speaking of Tobi). You will see the first three letters of the paragraph/paragraphs containing spoilers italized, so avoid it if you want to, I'll make sure not to add anything you'll need to know for the plot in there, kay? Good.

Naruto: SPOILERS?! AGGGGGGGG!!1

Me: Didn't I duct-tape you earlier?

Naruto: ...

Me: ...

Naruto: ...No.

Me: Ah.


	13. Two New Pawns

Disclaimer: Well, I promised you all three chapters before my four-day weakened was over, and here it is, number three

**Disclaimer: **Well, I promised you all three chapters before my four-day weakened was over, and here it is, number three. Or number thirteen, whatever way you look at it. **grins **

Kakashi: It isn't funny.

Me: Well you better laugh anyway.

Naruto: Why?

Me: BECAUSE I SAID SO.

Them: ?!

Me: ...Owned. XD Okay, so, here's the next chapter! YAYYYYYYY!!1

Sakura: Hoo-rah...

Me: Nobody asked you!

Sai: Why not?

Me: Grrrrrr...

-

Walk Like a Shinobi

"Yamato?" Kakashi asked, incredulous and fuming. "What the Hel are you transporting for? I specifically said not to!"

"Sempai!" Yamato gasped, holding his sides and ignoring the telling-off he would've been about to get. "There is a problem!"

Hinata, having a bad feeling what it was, looked at him. "D-Does it involve t-that Chuunin fr-from earlier?"

Yamato nodded. Kakashi became tense.

"...And?"

"He was kidnapped!" Yamato told them quickly. Sai's eyes grew wide. "By two people!"

"Were they Akatsuki?" Sai wanted to know. Yamato shook his head.

"No, but they're working for Sasuke!"

"SAY WHAT!?" Naruto exploded. Kakashi cast a swift glare at him, but there was no silencing the boy now. "WHY IN THE HEL DIDN'T YOU SAY SO EARLIER!? WHO WERE THEY!? WHERE ARE THEY!?"

"Please clam down, Naruto!" snapped Sakura, although she was itching to get her hands around these two people neck and make them talk. In fact, she was thinking, _They'd better spill OR ELSE! CHA! _"Tell us, Yamato. Who are they?"

"Two wanted people. Both captured by unknown forces some time ago. Held prisoner by Orochimaru or working with him," the ANBU man spat out methodically. "...Sugietsu of Kirigakure and Karin!"

_One of them's a GIRL? _Sakura thought, while smacking her fisted hand into her glove. _CHA! _

Naruto fist was shaking. Hinata reached out tentavily to touch his shoulder, and his head snapped up. "...We're going to run into Sasuke-teme, after all."

Sakura nodded and responded quietly. "So it would seem."

"We will finish this in the wastelands," Kakashi ordered curtly. "If we're going to have a chance of grabbing Sasuke back at all, we need to evade the Iwa police forces. Now get moving."

They were all ahead of him and Yamato before he knew it, and Kakashi swore. "Damn excitable kids."

Yamato nodded and winced. "Indeed."

-

The birds wheeling and calling out in their harsh voices relayed the message back—the Chuunin had been pulled out of thin air.

If one without exceptionally good detection skills were to look, they would no longer be able to see the ANBU members' chakras.

Contrary to what a certain Chuunin would impress on you, Iwa ninja were not stupid, especially not their ANBU forces. And so, realizing that this was definitely a more dangerous situation then they had originally though it was, the ANBU members were wise and had masked their chakras. One turned to the other, speaking through his mask.

"Should we continue to follow, sempai?"

The older one barely nodded. "This is not Konoha ninja work. At least not directly. They may have no idea what the cause of all this is." He hesitated. "Besides, so you really want to leave the capture of so many enemies in the hands of three lone Jounin?" Of course the ANBU had a suspicion that there was more than five enemies in the area. As said before, they weren't nearly as thick as Tamaishi.

After a second of thought, the first shook his head. "Not at all, sempai."

"Exactly."

So they carried on. The birds were catching the downdrafts on their pinion feathers and following them down, getting closer and closer to their quarry every second.

-

Neji had come to a halt and held up his hand for silence. What _was _that? That feeling that something was just skimming under the surface of his Byakugan, in range but undetectable...how could it be?

More importantly, _who _could it be?

"TenTen, get back."

TenTen didn't hesitate. When Neji was cautious there was always a reason. She left several meters back, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino following her.

The entire parade stood still. Eventually, Shikamaru could feel it, too. Something coming. And it was close.

When the water in the air was all sucked away and turned to condense in a certain area, approximately six feet in height and as wide as two people standing a foot apart, Neji fell into a fighting stance. As the more detailed features of Sugietsu's and Karin's faces came into view, he narrowed his eyes.

"And who are you?" he asked them icily, not failing to notice the slumped over Iwa Chuunin tucked under Sugietsu's arm. They both completely ignored him.

"Bit too abrupt, Fishy, don't you think?" Karin commented dryly, scanning the group with her eyes. "None of these idiots look familiar."

Sugietsu growled at her and adjusted his captive so he wasn't so heavy. "Would you shut up, Queen Bitch? He's obviously here somewhere. The fat one looks like he could be him."

That was when Chouji got pissed. "Who the Hel are you calling fat, Gills Boy?!"

Sugietsu looked up sharply at him and dropped the Chuunin, cracking his knuckles. "I think I'll kill them anyway. Hate to say it, but you're right. He isn't here."

Karin snorted. "Please, Fishy. You hardly had enough energy to knock out a single Iwa Chuunin. That other shark-man tossed you around a little bit, before Sasuke-sama showed up."

"...Sasuke?" It was Ino. She was glaring at Karin intensely now. "Where is he?"

Karin smirked. "Oh, wouldn't _you _like to know?"

"Tell me."

"Nope." She popped her lips on the 'p' and shifted all her weight to one foot, looking as stuck-up as can be. "I don't think I will."

"I said to _spill it, _damn you!" Ino snarled, lighting her hand with medical chakra and charging at Karin. Shikamaru slammed into her and pulled Ino down just in time to avoid the flying kunai.

"Don't just charge like that, you troublesome girl," he hissed at her, pulling them both back up again and turning to face Karin. "You are working with Sasuke? How troublesome."

Karin leered at him. "Wassa matter? You one of the weaklings who are trying to get him back?"

Glaring at her, Shikamaru replied calmly, "Yeah, I am, but it's just so sad to see an old comrade of mine fallen to working with the likes of you."

Karin snarled and was ready to attack when Sugietsu yanked her backwards, looking smug. "_Now _who's the idiot, huh? C'mon, let's scope out the other groups. We need to find him and get back soon."

Snapping at him over her shoulder, Karin spat, "I know that, Fishy!" before glaring daggers at Shikamaru and Ino and saying, "We'll finish our spat later, weaklings. Buh-byeee!" She dragged the last syllable out in a high-pitched voice, reveling at the sight of both Ino and Chouji getting ready to attack her again, before latching onto the dropped Chuunin and teleporting out of there. Sugietsu went with her.

Neji stared at the spot they had just been in as Chouji and Ino came back. "This is a big problem."

-

Kiba and Lee both curled their hands into fists, and the Inuzuka glared at their new competition. "Now what?"

"Ah, c'mon!" the boy bellyached, uncapping a canteen of water and taking a drink out of it. A drop trickled down his chin. He belched loudly and retied it at his waist, shoving the drooping hair off his forehead. "What a pain in the ass. He isn't here, either."

Kiba snarled. "Answer my question, dammit! Who are you and what the fuck do you want?"

Karin sniffed airily. "How rash."

Akamaru's neck fur was standing on end. _They smell like Sasuke! _He told Kiba, whose face turned blank for a moment before he grinned wickedly.

"What a wonderful surprise," he grunted, and then translated for Gai and Lee. "Their both working with Sasuke."

Lee stood straighter. "Sasuke-kun, our missing youth!"

"How did you know that?" Karin asked, surprised.

"My nose tells me lots of things," Kiba said, "And so does Akamaru." Akamaru curled his lips back to show all of his rather large and pointy teeth. Gai finished weighing the odds.

"Alright, my youthful charges!" he proclaimed, eyes narrowed for the challenge. "Take them down!"

"With pleasure!" Kiba attacked, charging on all fours with Akamaru leaping over him to land behind Sugietsu. The pale boy sighed and set the Chuunin down again.

"Oh boy," he muttered, "Now we're really going to be told off."

Kiba leapt and spun into a Gatsuuga, baring his teeth and howling along with Akamaru a wordless warcry.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

-

Sai whipped his head around, suddenly alert. Everything had been quiet for the past ten minutes, with small eruptions of chakra that they had all taken to be their enemies coming closer. But now, something was up. This chakra belonged to Akamaru and Kiba.

"Hey, Naruto?" he asked uncertainly. They had all slowed to a measured lope, sprinting across the flat rocky terrain quickly and without interference. Naruto looked at him.

"Yeah?"

"You remember the way Sasuke was last time, right? When we both saw him, in Orochimaru's lair?"

Naruto's cerulean eyes tightened. "I remember."

"Well, exactly how strong do you think he's gotten since then?"

Naruto paused. "I have no idea, Sai. But I'm going to be stronger."

There was no doubt whatsoever in his voice. Sai looked forward again and nodded. "Yeah."

Kakashi had kept his gaze forward throughout the entire conversation. He had felt it, too, the disturbance of energy. But the Hatake said nothing, hoping that Kiba was just having a moment again.

Secretly, they all wanted to think the same thing. But when they made it, finally, to the border of the wastelands, they could tell they were wrong.

"Shhhit," Naruto growled, looking at Kiba. Akamaru was crouched protectively across Kiba, snarling at them and baring his teeth, his neckfur standing on end and his tail lashing. Lee was crouched nearby, with Gai standing not far off. Kakashi noticed he was supporting his weight all on one leg. Hearing Naruto's voice, Lee looked up.

"Naruto-kun," he stated, half-standing. "Sakura-chan. Everybody."

Akamaru waited another moment before letting Sakura come near Kiba, eyeing the handful of healing energy warily and growling deep in the back of his throat.

"What in the bloody...??" Naruto started, shaking his head and clenching his fist. "What happened?"

"We..." Lee hesitated, before Gai took over form him and strode forward, not reacting to the pain lancing up his leg.

"We were caught in a genjutsu, my rival," he declared, standing as tall as he could. "By a read-headed girl and a pale-skinned boy. They had with them an Iwa Chuunin, unconscious and their captive. My youthful charges and I attacked them, because we were informed by the keen Akamaru that they worked with Sasuke. We were but three minutes in to the fight, not so much a heated battle as a one-sided brawl, because they wanted to leave quickly. The female youth trapped us in her technique, and a tremendous explosive went off and we were injured this way." He glanced at Kiba sadly. "I am sorry to say that our companion Kiba took the worst of it."

"So we can see," said Yamato, thinking quickly and trying to put it together. A captured Iwa Chuunin, two of Sasuke's accomplices, an explosion. No matter how he looked, he couldn't put them together.

Hinata gasped and knelt beside Kiba. "K-Kiba-kun, are you okay?!"

Naruto felt only slightly ashamed at himself as he realized he was tiny bit jealous.

There was a slight _swoosh _of air as Ino, Neji, Chouji, TenTen, and Shikamaru appeared beside the,. Ino was still fuming over losing the two who said they were with Sasuke, but as soon as she saw the state of Kiba, she clamped her mouth shut and hurried over to assist Sakura, asking her in quiet tones what had happened.

-

Hardly anything moved in the still fortress hidden incredibly well a while's away from the location of the Konoha shinobi, their pursuers, and two other people. A shadow danced and flickered on the wall, and out of it stepped a man.

He wasn't so tall of bust looking, but the orange, swirled mask covering his face with only one eye-hole drew your attention. He was looking across the room at another man, who seemed to have a plant for a head.

"Well?" Tobi asked Zetsu. The half-white, half-black faced Akatsuki cannibal member shrugged indifferently.

"I got there too late," he informed Tobi. His other side said, "**Yeah. The Uchiha's flunkies are already there. **_**"**_

"Incontinent," murmured Tobi. "Oh well. I'm sure our new friend has something in mind, don't you?"

"Absolutely," Zetsu agreed, "It just sucks that we don't know what it is."

There was a small pause before the black side of his face added, "**But soon we will.**"

Tobi nodded once and started to fade away again. "I should say that we will."

-

As the pink haired kunoichi explained what the situation was, Neji's usually placid face became grim.

"We just ran into them," he told Kakashi. Naruto was by his side in an instant.

"Those two bastards?" Neji nodded and Naruto swore. "Dammit! Where are they? Why didn't you get them? Did you all end up in a fight?"

Neji waved a hand at his squad members. "No. As you can see, we are all fine. Some wounded pride, maybe, and a desire to find them, but nothing more."

Naruto growled deep in his chest and pushed his fist deep into his other palm, grinding his teeth. "When I find them," he said in a gravely, dangerous voice. "They won't know what hit them."

"Well that's too bad," said a voice, and a sudden rush of wind blew everyone's hair back. All fifteen ninja (yes, including Kiba) turned their eyes on the pair of people and the slumped Chuunin. Sugietsu pushed his hair back again and took another swig of water, his hand wandering up above his shoulder to finger the large sword he had taken from Zabuza's grave. "I always like remembering who to pick a fight with. Makes it much for funner killing them later."

"'Funner' isn't a word, Fishy," Karin informed him, sneering flicking her eyes across the group. "Wow, we've already run into most of these losers, haven't we?"

Naruto scowled. "You two..."

Sugietsu looked at him and raised a nonexistent eyebrow. "Well, whaddaya know. We got him after all."

"Oh?" Yamato asked, standing form his crouched position. "Got who, may I ask?"

Sugietsu looked at him and grinned with a mouth full of fangs. "The orange brat. The Kyuubi container." Smirking openly again, he drew the sword and dumped half the contents of the remaining water over his head, licking his lips. "The 'one and only hyperactive knucklehead ninja'. Sasuke-sama would like to see you."

-

Waiting for them with a growing impatience, two people sat shrouded in the dark of their newest hideout. One pair of bright glowed bright red, with three swirling tomoes surrounding a black dot in the center.

-

Naruto cracked his knuckles. "You're dead meat."

-

**Author's Notes: **And so the plot thickens...Okay, so, the spoilers, apparently, are next time. They lied to me! XD Okay then, so, fair warning...**deep breath **Look, I know I don't want it to happen, and (hopefully) some of YOU don't want it to happen, but...next time...there will be...an...**exhales slowly and mumbles this out through clenched teeth ...**Sasuke chapter.

Some of my readers (I hope): NO! BOO! KILL THE N00B!!

Me: Yeah, I hate his guts, but it's necessary for the plot, sooo...Damn.

Naruto: I knew you'd say that, Swirly.

Me: Humpf.

Kakashi: **Sigh **The intelligence of FF author's.

Me: **throws a pancake at him **NARF!

Peace! XD XP XD


	14. Heavy Air

**Disclaimer: **Do I LOOK like Kishimoto-sama to you? Do I, really?

Me: Really. : P

Naruto: Not. At. All.

Kakashi: This the new chapter?

Me: Ye-up.

Kakashi: With...Sasuke in it?

Sakura: **twitch **

Kakashi: Oh boy, then.

Me: Let's go, before I change my mind...

-

Walk Like a Shinobi!

_Drip._

Silence.

_Drip. _

_Drip._

Hardly any human sound penetrated the shadows of the hideout. If one had exceptionally keen hearing, they might be able to hear the faint, simple rhythm of two people breathing. But other than that, there was pretty much nothing.

Uchiha Sasuke did not want to be heard.

After another ten minutes, the Uchiha shifted. On the other side of the room, Juugo let out a breath. If Sasuke was moving, then it was allowed. The bright, spinning Sharingan eyes glowed. Juugo paused for a moment as there was a flicker form where he could barley see the outline of Sasuke, and then, Sasuke was standing at the top of the stairs to the room in the hideaway. His sword was in his hand.

Juugo waited anotehr second more carefully before saying, "Karin and Sugietsu are fighting."

No response. It was a statement of fact. And so was what Juugo said next.

"They're gonna lose."

Still nothing was said by the black-haired boy, but Juugo repressed the cold feeling trickling through his stomach as Sasuke turned his head. The Sharingan that was visible spun even faster and glowered. Suddenly, Juugo knew the same thing Sasuke did, and he spoke it aloud.

"He'll come anyway."

-

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Immediately, over fifty clones materialized on the rocky veranda. Half of them enclose the other Konoha ninja, pointing their kunai and shuriken out in a bristling protective circle. The mass number of clones surrounded Karin and Sugietsu completely, rank upon rank of pissed-off Narutos ready to fight.

Sugietsu yanked Zabuza's huge sword off his back. "Well," he said, grinning sadistically, "Play time."

He was stopped form saying anything more, however, as a concerted howl of rage, getting louder every second, rose form the army of clones and pounded against his ear drums.

"What the Hel is this?" snarled one, clutching his kunai so tightly it almost cracked. "Zabuza's sword? _You stole Zabuza's sword_!? _RIGHT OFF HIS FREAKING GRAVE?!_"

"Why didn't you just dig Haku's body up while you were at it, you bastards!" screeched another.

"GET THEM!" roared the original Naruto, and the mass of copies surged forward.

"Oh, shit," Kakashi muttered, soaring over the nearest clone, even though the ones who had been ready to defend them had joined the charge and were joining in the mass of clones who were piled on top of Karin and Sugietsu. As soon as Kakashi landed, though, there was a loud _FWOOM!!_, and the clones were blown backwards, over half of them dissipating in seconds.

"Naruto, don't be so damn hasty!" Kakashi snapped at them, as he had no idea where the real Naruto was. One of the remaining Narutos whipped his head around to glare at him and bellowed,

"I'm going to KILL THEM! Sensei, everyone, stay...backkkkk!!" Kakashi stumbled back a pace and stared on in disbelief as the remaining Uzumaki Narutos whiskers all thickened, their eyes turned red, nails grew longer and sharper, and finally, the one who had addressed him was suddenly cloaked by the blazing red chakra. Only one tail appeared.

For a second, Kakashi was relieved. One-tailed version would be much easier to handle then the out-of-control, Kyuubi obsessed Naruto that had woken them all up the other night.

And then the first clone also gained a tail.

"Oh," Kakashi repeated, with feeling, "_Shit_."

One after another, the clones were exploding into their own versions of one-tailed chakra. Some of them actually had full tails, like Naruto did, but no other red chakra on them. Others had a smaller tail and chakra reaching down to their legs before stopping. Only two others had full chakra cloaks, tail included. One of them looked like Naruto had when fighting against Haku and first using the chakra, another looked the way Naruto had while fighting Neji.

In short, it was an entire army of Kyuubi-powered Narutos.

"Ah, dammit," Sugietsu said, swinging the sword in a complete ark above his head and crashing it down to the earth again in a crouch. "Looks like I need to use some chakra on this wimp after all."

Three water clones appeared in various stances of attack, holding the cloned swords. The real Sugietsu only growled, "Screw 'em!"

The three water clones darted forward, one jumping high into the air with a shout to smash the blade down through the head of the nearest clone. The Kyuubi-possessed Bunshin in question simply pushed off with one hand and spun to the right, avoiding Sugietsu deftly and rocketing off his hind legs to ram into the mizu Bunshin.

"Ha!" roared the clone, turning his attention to the real Sugietsu and charging quickly. He was almost immediately cleaved in half and vanished in a poof of smoke as the second mizu clone changed course and swung the blade he held in his hand. Two seconds later, he was set upon by three other clones and didn't even have a chance to splatter to the ground as they started pummeling him.

The singular remaining Sugietsu clone began twirling the sword above his head expertly, grinning broadly as the water vapor, the same stuff that the mizu clones had been made of, began to condense and show around the thrumming blade. The clone suddenly stopped and jerked the weapon, blade-down, towards the earth, and the condensed water particles scattered, moving fast and piercing several clones as missiles.

The desired affect of all this was not what happened.

In fact, it was the exact opposite. The remaining clones growled and roared until it became a deafening crescendo of fury, and the Kyuubi chakra covering all of them increased. One other clone was give a full chakra cloak and tail.

Sugietsu swore. "Damn. I was hoping all that killer chakra would sort of, um...dissipate with less of 'em around."

"You _moron_," Karin raved, stressing the insult, "You can't guess that less clones to spread the chakra to equals more energy for those that are left?! If we knock it down to one, we'll have a four-tailed mode on our hands!"

"Well, how was supposed to know?!"

"Use your _brain_, that's why you have that unused lump of gray matter! For _thinking_!"

While they were arguing, one of the Naruto's, the one who had had the full tail and cloak first, let loose anotehr earshatteing roar and lunged through the air with all the speed of a rocket. Sugietsu had not even the time to blink before Naruto, the original Naruto, was barreling into him and pounding out a veritable tatoo of punches into his abdomenon.

"It burns!" Sugietsu screamed, dropping the sword and trying to, of all things, grab his water pouch, "The chakra burns!"

"_Tell. Me. Where. Sasuke. Is!" _roared Naruto. Karin had attempted to seal the two in a genjutsu, but Naruto only took a second to snarl at her and her technique shattered like glass. With a gasp, she stumbled backwards and fell, trying to clear the splotches of red from her vision. Too late, she was able to see again as five clones tackled her and pulled her arms back until she screamed painfully.

Sugietsu could only grunt and howl wordless cries as he was mercilessly pounded by Naruto. The other ninja looked on wide-eyed as Sugietsu's face became lined with cracks, something like dust fell down from his lower lip, and suddenly, Sugietsu's whole face turned to dust and caved inward.

Karin stopped screaming.

The clones all stared.

Naruto, who had been clutching Sugietsu's shirt collar and shaking him so fast his features were blurred, stopped and glared at the trickles of parched dust slowly falling form the empty shirt collar of the boy he had been half a minute away from tearing apart.

Absolutely all movement and sound stopped.

Suddenly, for the third time that day, Kakashi murmured, "Oh, shit."

Hardly bothering to look at the carcass, Naruto tore the strap for Zabuza's sword off Sugietsu's back. Picking up the dishonored blade, he dusted it off, murmuring to it softly. "Don't worry. You'll be back where you belong soon." He slipped the weapon through the strap and tossed it to Gai, who caught it deftly and slung it silently over his back. Without looking at anyone and fixing his eyes on the distant horizon, Naruto let his stance relax a bit and the other clones dissipate. Karin was staring at him wordlessly, watching as his one tail swelled and lengthened.

Without turning to her, Naruto ordered. "Take us to Sasuke. Now."

Shakily, Karin stood up, dusting off her shirt with a bizarre act of normality. She turned east and started walking.

"This way," she said softly. Naruto was suddenly infront of her.

"Get moving."

"R-Right..."

Everyone there started to run. In front of the Konoha group, Hinata looked at Naruto sadly. She need her Byakugan activated to tell her what his chakra streams looked like.

Swollen, red, and ready to tear someone apart.

-

They didn't have to go far.

They stopped outside of what looked like a natural flight of stone stairs, leading to nowhere but an uneven tumble of rocks. The structure itself was rather large, wider than it was tall. And just by feeling for a chakra and finding none, they could all tell it went very, very, very deep.

Naruto stood outside of it. The tail was huge, as large as four of them combined, but no one could tell why he hadn't gone berserk yet. He stood, fists loosely clenched, glaring at the stones.

"Well?"

Karin opened her mouth to speak, but she didn't have to say anything. The entrance to the stone stairway suddenly revealed itself and _scchedddd_ away. Karin took a step back a bit, and everyone in the Konoha group looked a little bit different.

Sakura was struggling not to be shocked.

Kakashi kept what little could be seen of hi face staring ahead and let only the barest flicker of emotion cross his eyes.

Sai looked on, trying to keep himself neutral inspite of the tension tearing the air.

Kiba and Akamaru growled.

Hinata and Neji shifted their stances oh so slightly, ready to fight...

Shikamaru scratched his head once and slowly let out a breath.

Chouji crumpled his bag and put away the chips, fingering the capsule of pills in his pouch.

Everyone else simply stared.

Juugo looked over the mass of ninja below him, picking out Naruto immediately. It was hard not to, as he was still in Giant Tail mode. He looked at the back of the man in front of him, and could feel his own curse mark twitching in response as his 'bosses' went active.

"Long time, no see," Naruto growled, his whiskers thickening just a little bit more. "Teme."

"Yo, dobe," Sasuke said, staring down at all of them balefully.

As they stood there, glaring at each other, a breeze rolled past and ruffled Naruto's hair. Sasuke's bangs were blown left across his face, covering the flickers of curse mark momentarily before the strange black and yellow eye it gave the Uchiha came into view again.

And then everyone could feel it.

The desperate rivalry that threatened to flatten them all.

-

**Author's Note: **Confrontation time! Not too overly pleased with the way that played out, but it will be remeided next chapter. I'll tell you this, though.** grins evilly and beckons the readers closer **The Uchiha is in for quite a suprise.

Naruto: **snarling** I'm going to drag him back kicking and screaming to Konoha!

Me: Dude, are you forgetting? **looks at his gimungo-tail pointedly**

Naruto: No.

Me: Of course.

Naruto: 'Ttebayo.


	15. Speaking Red Fox

Disclaimer: Still not Kishimoto-san

**Disclaimer: **Still not Kishimoto-san.

Me: Wow, that was fast. Didn't think I'd start this chapter right away.

Naruto: Rrrrrr...

Me: Oh right! I had a reason to do that. : )

Kakashi: **sigh** Hurry, before the Kyuubi gets hungry.

Me: Ermm...**presses the 'new chapter' button** Right. Remember, people, if the paragraph has the first three words italicized, then it's a spoiler moment!

-

Walk Like a Shinobi

You could tell it in their eyes.

Even though Naruto's were blood-red with slitted pupils and Sasuke's obscured by the curse mark, you could tell easily what the two of them were thinking.

"_What...are you??" Sasuke asked, shocked, staring wide-eyed at the powerful boy spouting red-chakra in front of him. Naruto looked up._

"_I'm your friend!"_

_Later, Naruto had Sasuke pinned against the rock wall. "Have you woken up yet?! Are you finished with this!? Well, Sasuke!?" Naruto demanded. Sasuke cracked open his eyes._

"_Shut up." Naruto did a double take as Sasuke continued, getting more and more angry. "What do you know about me, you who have never lost important ties! You were alone from the begginging! You don't know what it's like to loose people like that! What do you know about me, eh?!"_

"_...But when I'm with Iruka-sensei, that's what...I think having a father feels like. And, you...that's what I think...having a brother feels like. That's why I refuse to let Orochimaru take you like this!"_

"_No more talking, Naruto...COME!"_

_A chain of Narutos, bashing Sasuke relentlessly against the cliff, then burning away it the heat of his fire attack..._

_Naruto could hardly move. "A...Amazing..."_

_Sasuke grabbed his shirt collar. "It's over..." he yelled, throwing Naruto over the cliff. "NARUTOOOOOOO!!"_

_But after Naruto had originally gone one-tail, Sasuke on the curse marks second level, and the two of them clashing with a Rasengan and a Chidori, Sasuke had stared at Naruto's unmoving form as his headband fell off. Naruto had won the bet, and there was a scratch through it._

_The Uchiha had simply walked away._

Everyone who had not seen Sasuke as he went into level two gasped collectively, which was most of them. Naruto growled and raised a fist.

"_Teme, are you_ saying that even after beating Itachi, you're still gonna try and kill me?" Naruto asked. Sasuke's expression did not change.

"...Yes."

Sakura had to stop herself from crying out and rushing forward. "S-Sasuke-kun! Your ambition is over! You can stop this now and come home!"

Sasuke turned his apathetic gaze on her. "...And what place do you call my home, Sakura?"

"Konoha, of course, you jerk!" Kiba spat, struggling to break free of the firm grip Gai had on his shoulder. The Jounin and Lee had helped support Kiba when they had come here, but now Kiba wanted to fight. "Let go of me! We didn't get him last time, or the time before that! But we're sure as Hel gonna drag him back with us now!" Akamaru barked and bristled. Gai shook his head.

"You all seem to be forgetting that we still have our mission, and it would be far too dangerous to drop it for Sasuke's sake." Gai aimed a level stare at Sasuke, who was watching him now. "And if you cannot see, our youthful Naruto needs more speed now than anything."

For the first time, Kakashi spoke up. "Gai's right. We need to move on. It was nice seeing you again, Sasuke."

"No way in Hel!" snapped Naruto. "We'll bring the teme along if that's the case, but I'm not going to let something else interfere like it did last time! Forget the mission, I'm fine!"

"Obviously, you are not," Neji put in quietly. "Look at yourself, Naruto. It's a wonder you haven't lost your mind yet."

"Neji, you—!"

"...What mission are you on this time, Naruto?" stated Sasuke, looking at Naruto again. "Everyone seems to be ridiculously concerned about you. It's pathetic. You can't train on your own, dobe?"

"You're mistaken, Sasuke-kun," Lee said, stepping forward. "I know you can tell with that Sharingan of yours, but I will let you know that Naruto-kun is not his usual self!"

"He can tell, Bushy-brow," said Naruto. "Or can't the teme see everything with those eyes of his?"

Sasuke's glare hardened. The Sharingan began to spin...

**...**

"**It's about time you came to see me, brat," **Kyuubi said.

Naruto stood in front of him, defiant. "Take your damned chakra back. I don't need it."

"**Ha! I could've completely taken over your mind by now, you know that? You should be thanking me! I'm letting you stay in control of my power so you can kick the shit out of that cocky Uchiha!"**

"I don't want your fucking power! I'll beat Sasuke on my own, and I don't need you to help me! Especially if it's on a loan! Buzz off!"

Kyuubi tilted his head back and laughed. **"I can see why he calls you pathetic, brat!"**

"You can, can you?"

This time, Naruto wasn't startled. He turned to Sasuke and said, "Great, company."

Kyuubi leered. **"And he returns."**

Sasuke stared levelly at the Kyuubi, the huge mass of bubbling chakra in the shape of a fox. What was different about him this time? There was something, but...The seal. It looked burnt. The cage seemed to be cracked and pried a little bit open. The shape of the Kyuubi was bigger. And seemed more...solid.

That was it.

"Is this why you don't want the fox's power, dobe?" Sasuke flicked out a hand, and the Kyuubi's shape rippled. Unlike last time, though, it did not disappear. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and tried again. Same result. "Even though you need that chakra to do anything, it's getting to strong for you?"

"Shut it, Teme. You don't know about anything."

Sasuke glared at Naruto. It was unusual to head Uzumaki talking to anyone like that, except for Sasuke. And after the Uchiha had been AWOL for nearly three and a half years now, the tone of voice Naruto was using had not been expected.

"Then explain it to me, dobe, and I'll pretend I care."

"**He really can't tell, can he, brat?"**

"No," Naruto's gaze hardened. "And he never will again."

"**Wrong, because I'll tell him."**

"See if I care."

Kyuubi laughed again. **"I think I will!" **He flicked his eyes to Sasuke. **"I'm surprised, Uchiha. You can't tell what your eyes say is so different about me? I will tell you."**

"The get on with it," Sasuke said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "You talk too much."

"**Ha! What an asshole! Just like Madara was..."**

Sasuke said nothing, but his glare might've melted rocks.

"**You still haven't acknowledged Naruto, have you?" **Kyuubi mused, sounding amazed. **"Well, I'll let you know this—Right now, he could kick your ass without a problem. Because what he's using is **_**my chakra**_**. What you're using is your **_**Kekkai Genkai**_** and **_**Orochimaru's technique**_**. Don't try and deny that's what your curse mark is, boy. I can smell that bastard holed up in you. He's hardly alive at all." **Kyuubi smirked. **"Oh, yes, and you killed him incorrectly. The Sannin lives."**

"Are you trying to mock me?" Sasuke demanded icily.

Kyuubi grinned. **"It is the truth. I saw what happened between you and Itachi. Stupidly close call. See, if I wasn't letting the brat stay in control of his mind right now, this chakra would've eaten you alive."**

"Stay...in control? What are you saying, fox?"

"He's saying, Sasuke-teme," Naruto put in, turning fully to face Sasuke now and raising a fist. "That he could completely screw not only me, but you and everyone else here. Sensei won't like me telling you this, but my seal is busted. We're on a mission to fix it. Too bad you weren't the center of attention this time, huh?"

"Shut it, dobe," Sasuke scowled, deciding that he didn't believe any of it. "And if that's true and your 'power' is so damn huge now, prove it!"

Naruto snarled. "Fine...I WILL!"

He darted forward and brought his fist back, making it look like he was going to deliver an uppercut to the Uchiha's chin. Sasuke saw him coming perfectly and had already stepped aside where Naruto wouldn't even touch him, when...

_WHAM!_

"**Hahahahahahahaaaa!" **Kyuubi howled, laughing with all of his harp, pointy teeth gleaming at the uncharacteristically shocked, wide-eyed expression on Sasuke's face. **"Believe it now, Uchiha!?"**

Naruto was crouched and ready, his fists still clenched, the one he had socked Sasuke across the face with still outstretched. At the last second, he had turned, punching at Sasuke's left eye so fast all there was to see of it was a flicker, and Sasuke had staggered back and touched his fingers to his throbbing eye, staring at Naruto.

Since when was the dobe this fast!?

Naruto slowly lowered his fist. "Let's take this outside, Teme," he growled, and vanished. Sasuke felt himself being sucked away from the Kyuubi's chamber, the insane laughter of the huge fox ringing in his ears.

**...**

The entire time the confrontation had taken place inside Naruto's mindscape, only one second had passed outside of them. Sasuke felt a flicker of something like doubt in the deepest pit of his stomach and focus came back to his eyes the same time it did Naruto's. But the chance was here, and he had just been challenged by the dobe, of all people, after all.

Naruto's long, chakra-made fox ears seemed to grow longer. "Bring it on."

Sasuke drew his katana and straightened himself. "Fine."

"Don't—!" Sakura shouted, but the two had already collided with each other and were exchanging blows furiously. Kunai clanged against sword almost too fast for Sasuke's Sharingan to keep up, and far too quickly for everyone else to even see.

With a loud _FWAM_, the rivals were blown away from each other by one of Sasuke's explosive notes. Naruto backflipped once and landed nimbly on his feet, bracing his landing with one hand and shoving off from the ground like a torpedo aimed at Sasuke.

The avenger ducked and spun ninety degrees around to slice at Naruto's head, but Naruto had backflipped again only three inches out of range.

Sasuke smirked. "You've forgotten what I told you last time, dobe." The web of electricity crackled up his arms and through the length of the blade, blasting out of the swords tip and striking Naruto squarely in the heart. "That is the wrong way to avoid my attack."

Ino screamed and Naruto began to twitch violently, the red chakra around him hissing and bubbling and shrieking, stretching and writhing and contorting out of shape.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled, "Stop!"

Naruto fell to his hands, jerking his head from right to left, his lips barely parted and he roared, to no one they could see, "_GET BACK! I DON'T—I CAN'T—! STAY AWAY!" _

"Talking to the Kyuubi won't help you now, dobe!" Sasuke spat, closing the gap between Naruto and his sword's range. He cut the line of electricity and held the blade high above his head, swinging down hard. Naruto's eyes glowered like two hot coals as he watched the blade with interest as it came down to murder him.

Hinata's eyes flashed.

Naruto caught the sword in his hand and stood up.

The sharp edge hadn't even made a dent in his armour of chakra.

Naruto's eyes were narrowed and hard. He twisted his wrist and yanked the sword out of Sasuke's grip.

Sasuke had not felt so stunned since Itachi had murdered his clan. "The dobe...how...??"

Naruto said, "Kyuubi is threatening to hurt her. To hurt everyone. If I die, he'll just become more powerful fixing me up again. Everyone will suffer because I was too wussy to beat you without him." The red chakra began, slowly, to recede, centimeter by centimeter. "So I'll just kick your butt by myself. No help this time, Teme. Shut off your curse mark."

Sasuke didn't move. Naruto rolled his eyes and a strand of sticky red chakra flipped out from his hand, sticking to Sasuke's collar bone and tripping upwards towards the curse mark. In another second, Sasuke was normal again and staring, unconsciously feeling the burn marks left by the string of Chakra.

"It's just normal you against me now, Teme."

And even though the red chakra wasn't totally gone yet, Naruto's eyes were blue.

-

**Author's Note: **Hmmmmm, actually, I think the last chapter was better now. **eye roll **Oh well, here you are!

Naruto: SO TAKE THAT KYUUBI, TEME!

Kakashi: Dudddde, it's about time!

Sasuke: How...in the name of...??

ME: You'll never know.

Hinata: Touch Naruto and you're dead, Sasuke.

Me: O0?! Well, obviously, Hinata will be showing some more backbone as the brawl continues...I suck at portraying Sasuke, and somehow I'm not sorry. **shrug **Ja ne!


	16. BANG!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, so there

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, so there. : P

Me: I AM VERY SORRY! I had the worst case of writer's block EVER...**ashamed**

Naruto: You made them all wait to see the teme's ass get kicked. And we ever got some new reviewers! How's _that _for a first impression, ne?

Kakashi: Just start the fanfic before they decide to mug you or something...

Me: For what? I have nothin' of value...

Sai: For your creative abilites?

Me: -.-" That'll work...NO, WAIT, I WANT TO KEEP THOSE, DAMMIT! O,O"

Lee: And thus the new chapter starts..."

Oh, and I'm sort of stopping with the warnings about spoilers...but you'll be taking the risk, so, good luck! "

Walk Like a Shinobi

The breeze had sprung up out of nowhere, and just as quickly died down again as the two life-long adversaries faced off.

Sasuke was pissed to the core, but there was no way he would show it. The dobe had been able to shut of the curse mark? So what? There was still the Sharingan, and there was no way that could fail him. He kept his face blank, something he had long perfected, and swung his katana into a better position to attack with. Although, if he knew the dobe, then it would be smarter to have it in a defensive position. The hot-head always attacked first.

Naruto's eyes had cleared and were free from any trace of Kyuubi influence. He grinned in his determined, fox-like way, and he spun his kunai in his fingers, clamping his grip down on it so that the point was aimed behind him. The last few tendrils of red chakra were dragged back inside the seal, and Naruto felt the evil presence in his head diminish. His eyes lit up as he grinned wider.

If he could force Kyuubi to retreat, then the battle—all the battles—were half-way won.

_Why is smiling, the idiot? _Sasuke thought crossly. _What does he have to smile about? It's going to end here. _

The Uchiha tensed, remembering something Tobi had told him. _"Your big brother did it to save you. To make you strong." _Well, the requirement for the Mangekyou was to kill your best friend.

_Shut up, Itachi. I'm doing this my way._

"You're gonna like it in Konoha again, teme."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed by the smallest amount. "What?"

Naruto flicked his kunai up and caught it in his teeth. He spat the words out around it, "I said, you're gonna like it in Konoha again, teme."

"I heard you, dobe. Why should I come back? What makes you think that I will?"

Naruto spat the kunai out so that it was in his palm again and grinned. "Because. After you come along with us for this mission, I don't care if I drag you back kicking and screaming. You're coming along, and you're gonna stay." Naruto's eyes gleamed and he grinned the widest he had since their mission started. "Datteybayo."

Sasuke smirked. "Hmpf. You're always saying that, dobe."

"Datteybayo...teme!" Naruto lunged forward, striking down with his kunai as Sasuke blocked with his katana. Crackling chakra spun down the length of the blade, and Naruto's kunai passed straight through it. Sasuke swept the sword out to the side as Naruto sprang off his shoulder and tucked into a roll, leaping to his feet again and making his customary handsign. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Three clones appeared and formed a diamond around Sasuke, who was twirling the sword above his head with the 'tiger' handseal formed with his other hand. Pointing the katana at the Naruto standing where the original had been, he clasped the hilt in both hands and shot a beam of lighting through the metal.

The Naruto neatly spun away, bracing himself on his left hand and cartwheeling into a run. The clone on the left of the diamond joined him at his side, and a spinning ball of blue chakra twirled to life. Sasuke's eyes tightened as the other two Naruto's behind and to the right of him did the same—they were trying to hit him with two of the same technique.

Sasuke let the unchecked electricity crackle down the length of his arms and torso, and he took aim at the pairs of Narutos. "Chidori Nagashi!"

The field of crackling static surged forward, making the onlookers gasp. The first pair of Narutos sprang up into the air, landing on the shoulders of the other pair and flipping over beyond the current of chakra. One of the orange boys had the sense to grab the collars of the second pair and drag them to safety. The jutsu hadn't touched any of them.

Sasuke pulled the electricity back and let it all collect in his hand. His Sharingan eyes blazed as he realized that Naruto was on the right side of the outcropping and he was on the left. Just like before.

Three of the Narutos vanished in a poof of smoke, leaving the orb of churning chakra to swell in Naruto's hand. The two rivals eyed each other for a second, before charging forward.

Naruto and Sasuke leapt into the air, their hands alight, ready to slam into each other...

"CHIDORI!"

"RASENGAN!"


	17. Picture Case

**Disclaimer: **Get the stupid-ass lawyers offa my lawn! I don't own squat, darn you! **shakes my fist at the 'stupid-ass' lawyers old-lady style **YOU ROTTEN COURT PEOPLE! (no offense to court people. Heh heh heh... **sweatdrop **"""")

Me: Yeah, I know, I'm evil and you probably all hate me for the deal with the last chapter...Sorry. **wince **I'm fixing it this time. WITH MY DYING WILL!

Kakashi: We don't need and Hitman Reborn references, thank you.

Me: Aw, man...

Naruto: On with the pw0nage of the teme!

Sasuke: Yeah right, dobe.

Me: GAH! ALL OF YOU BACK IN THE FANFIC!

Oh, and don't forget, there are no spoiler warnings, though I suppose you could call this one... Sorry. -.-"

-

Walk Like a Shinobi

"CHIDORI!

"RASENGAN!"

They collided with an explosion of bright light, suffused by a blue-hazed sphere glowing too bright for the audience to see through...

-

Naruto's eyes were half closed as he contemplated his hand. He was vaguely aware of Sasuke just across from him, doing the same thing.

_Why the Hel is it that, _Naruto wondered, _whenever I see the teme, we end up having to beat the shit outta each other?_

Sasuke was thinking, _Just like the first time. Dobe hasn't gotten any stronger._

_I'm still more special than him._

Naruto flicked his eyes up and, with an odd feeling of detachment, began curiously going over the wall of the sphere they were in. Its walls were blue this time, not purple or black, as they were both using their regular chakra.

Through the translucent, softly pulsing walls of the orb they were in, Naruto could see his friends, along with Juugo and Karin. He blinked, realizing that they all looked sort of...frozen.

_Huh?_

Sasuke noticed where Naruto's eyes were aimed, and he frowned ever so slightly as he too looked out the wall of the orb.

Sasuke did and eyebrow raise. "They're stuck."

Naruto furrowed his brow and turned to Sasuke. "Huh?"

"Don't you know anything, dobe? We were moving too fast for them to keep track of during that fight. Humpf, you must be actually a little stronger since last time. What a shock."

Naruto scowled, coming out of his nostalgia. "Forget you, teme! Fight's not over yet."

Sasuke felt his frown deepen. "Yeah, right."

Naruto's eyes flashed with a glimmer of something...triumphant? "No shit, teme. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

"You're going to try and fight me in a ball. Of course."

"Just fight, Sasuke," Naruto's clone was busy at work creating another Rasengan in Naruto's palm. "...You'll need all of your concentration for this. Rasengan!"

"Sure I will, dobe." Sasuke didn't give a damn what his 'rival' did next—he had already proven to himself over and over again that the Uzumaki would never catch up to him.

Sasuke charged a second Chidori through his hand. "Chidori!"

They shoved forward off their feet, slamming into each other and pushing more and more power through their palms—one was contorted with swirling blue chakra, one was smothered in crackling static. There was no actual movement on either side after the attacks connected, but that they glared at each other and narrowed their eyes, both struggling to over-come the other...

_BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM!!_

-

The sphere shattered, sending both Naruto and Sasuke careening off the platform of stone down, down, down towards the hard Iwa ground again.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed, trying to catch one of them in time, "Sasuke-kun!"

"Dammit," Kiba growled as Akamaru's hackles raised, "He's going to get himself killed!"

Kakashi's headband was up as his Sharingan eye followed the falling path of his students. Both of his eyes flew wide open as he saw something. "No."

Sai looked at him, trying desperately to calculate how many seconds Naruto and Sasuke had left before meeting the earth again. "Huh?"

"They won't die."

"Why?"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "They're still fighting, that's why."

The others—not even the pair of Hyuugas—could see what Kakashi saw. They couldn't see, from their angle, Naruto creating another clone and Sasuke whipping his sword out. They couldn't tell that the motions Naruto was making was for no ordinary Rasengan, or that Sasuke was putting all of his power into turning on his eyes.

When the two of them simultaneously hurtled into the earth, TenTen clapped a hand over her mouth before the smoke could clear.

In the clouds of dissipating dust, the two figures stood up.

Each of them was standing in a crater. Naruto's was deeper, Sasuke's was wider. If you had to get mathematical about it, you might discover that they were the same proportions either way.

"Yes," Hinata breathed, so softly no one could hear.

The Uzumaki and the Uchiha glared daggers at each other across the span of silt-spread air. Then, a duet of sounds, almost like a million birds chirping over the roar of a storm, snapped the silence.

The dust around Naruto was contorted and thrown about as the clone poofed away and the attack in his hand—powerful enough to destroy an Akatsuki member's chakra veins—roared to life.

Sasuke banished the flicker of realization that had pricked him as he saw the dobe's next attack. Not a Rasengan, but something close. Something powerful. What did it matter, though, when he had these eyes? The Mangekyou his brother Itachi had given him spun faster and faster, and the sword in his hand flamed with electricity.

To everyone else, the power that came from the two boys was ridiculous. Here came the finale.

Naruto's hair whipped around his headband as the Konoha symbol flashed in the glaring Iwa sun. In the next second, both he and Sasuke sprang forward again, Naruto with his hand before his and Sasuke with his sword aimed at Naruto's heart.

"_RASENSHURIKEN!"_

"_CHIDORI NAGASHI!"_

_What the Hel is he thinking!? _Sakurathought frantically._ If that attack hits, Sasuke-kun will be DEAD! _"Wait, Naruto!"

_Oh, my, gods! _Karin's brain screamed in panic, _He shouldn't be using both of them at once! _"Stop, Sasuke-sama!"

Too late.

Naruto threw his hand forward, Sasuke stabbed the sword out...

_**BBBBBOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!**_

The watching ninja had to shield their eyes as the whirlwind created by the collision stirred up a cyclone, and they had to crouch and brace themselves against the ground as the earth shook.

Below Naruto and Sasuke, the rock floor trembled and danced, several huge plates shoving upwards and smashing into each other, creating a miniature earthquake. No, not miniature.

This was real.

His vision strangely inverted by the Mangekyou, Sasuke blinked as he felt something dripping in the corner of his eye. Not that that mattered now, he'd get to it later...once he finally ended this.

A thin line of red was dripping out of his rival's right eye, but Naruto would get to that later, whatever it was. He had just felt something that felt like an opening, like the sword that was channeling electricity was beginning to falter.

Naruto's eyes flashed bright and he gave the Rasenshuriken one extra shove. "DATTEYBAYO!"

There was an ear-shattering _ccccrraaackkk!! _As the katana in Sasuke's hand shivered, splintered, and snapped clean in two.

The piercing cackle of the Chidori Nagashi was cut off.

Fourteen pairs of eyes widened as the tip of Sasuke's sword tumbled towards earth and landed point down below him. The ground stopped shuddering. The wind ceased.

Naruto stood straight and grinned in a lopsided way as the wild roar of the Rasenshuriken faded to nothingness and it dissipated in his hand. For a moment, he and Sasuke stood across from each other, suspended in pace. Naruto let his hand drop to his side. Sasuke's ebony eyes betrayed nothing as they tightened involuntarily. They knew the outcome now.

"...I win...Sasuke-teme."

With that, gravity reasserted it's hold on them and the pair of shinobi fell backfirst to the ground.

Silence.

...Moments before they made impact, Hinata broke free of the group and dove into Naruto's shadow, holding her arms out and squeezing her eyes shut tight as he fell faster...

Someone pushed her aside and there was a dull _thump _as Naruto and Sasuke, on separate sides of the stone outcropping, each broke their fall on a Kakashi clone and hit the floor.

There was another silent second as the two new Kakashis disappeared before Karin screeched shrilly, "Sasuke-sama!"

It was almost like a race after that, to see who could get to either of the battered fighters first. Juugo hurried to Sasuke's side as Karin shook the Uchiha repeatedly, screaming "Sasuke-sama! Sasuke-sama!" over and over again. He made eye contact with one of the older Konoha nin, a Jounin wearing his headband on a kind of frame for his face. The Jounin nodded and plodded over, helping Juugo to lift Sasuke and carry him over to the swarm of ninja hovering around Naruto. A few others, Lee, Sakura, Sai, Ino, and TenTen, had been rushing over to help them before Sasuke was placed a foot apart from Naruto on the oddly soft earth.

In all the commotion as Sakura and Ino began to gather chakra to heal Naruto and Sasuke, only three people noticed a pair of blue eyes and a pair of black eyes slide around in their sockets to glare at each other. Those same three people and one more also noticed the small, tired, happy smile on Naruto's whiskered face and the customary nostril flare of Sasuke as their eyelids began to slide close.

_I wonder what everyone seems so happy? _Naruto wondered foggily, slipping into the mist that was welcomed him. _I _said _I'd rescue Sasuke...Huh..._

Sasuke's eyes were unreadable as they slid closed. _Damn..._

And then, for the both of them, blackness.

-

Hinata bit her lip as she looked up at Sakura, blinking again and looking down at the placid, happy-looking face of Naruto. She let her gaze wander across to Sasuke, who's face was blank and tight.

Hinata turned her eyes to Kakashi. She had noticed his eyes turn solemn and his eyebrows scrunch together sadly as Naruto and Sasuke's eyes met before they passed out. She left her eyes close and then opened them again, watching the healing chakra do its work as Naruto slept peacefully on.

-

The ground was scuttled with mist, thin and filmy. Naruto blinked through the moisture settling on his eyelids, watching the group of people. There were three of them, gathered around a stone shaped a little like half a diamond, covered all over with scrawling little carvings that could be recognized as names. One of the figures had a shock of spiky yellow hair. One had a long pink waterfall cascading down her back. One was taller than the others, with a spiky poof of silver hair and a mask hiding his features.

Naruto smiled, then frowned. It was Team 7 on their picture day, but Sasuke wasn't there.

No one seemed to notice. The picture man was directing the younger version of him and Sakura to be on the right and middle of Kakashi. Younger him glared across at the space where Sasuke should be, but wasn't.

"Hey! Who was the teme who was supposed to be there!?" smaller Naruto complained, looking annoyed and waving his arms for the picture man to stop. "Don't take the picture! Everyone isn't here yet!"

But he went ignored, and Older Naruto started to dash forward, shouting, "Didn't you hear him!? Don't take the picture!" The flash went off, and Naruto stopped, looking at the picture before him. Everyone was just like they were in the one he had in his backpack, except the younger Naruto's eyes had an angered, haunted look to them, and the space where Sasuke should have been was empty.

Naruto stared at the scene—the people in it were frozen now, even the camera man. He blinked, then jerked his head up in surprise to see the small figure who had entered the memorial clearing.

Pre-School Naruto looked at the frozen piece of time and is eyes tightened sadly, a flicker of red whiplashing across the surface of his eyes. His hands bunched into fists and he looked up at the dreaming Naruto with the oddest look of desolation on his face.

The youngest Naruto, wearing the white shirt with the red Konoha leaf sign on it's front and the sad blue eyes looked at something in Naruto's hands and pointed to it.

"He's our friend," the young boy said simply, and the vision began to fade. Naruto was left salon, the sound of his breathing echoing back softly in the expanse of pure white. He looked at the object in his hands again and tipped his head to one side softly.

"It's time you started wearing this again, teme."

-

Why were his hands so small? Sasuke looked down at himself. He hadn't worn that outfit since after Itachi had murdered his clan. He was shorter, too. Younger.

"Ottoto."

Sasuke's head snapped up and his hands balled into fists, glaring hatred at his brother, who was smiling at him, the way he had used to, before...

"Catch up to me, Ottoto."

Sasuke hissed through his teeth, feeling for his katana but not finding it. "What?"

Itachi nodded and smiled softly, reaching out to ruffle Sasuke's hair. When Sasuke tried to pull away, Itachi's eyes crinkled up in a brotherly way—the way they used to—and he poke Sasuke in the middle of the forehead. Sasuke frowned and tried to tackle him, but he couldn't move and watched as Itachi mussed up his pointy hair and flicked him fondly.

"Don't forget the other side of you, Ottoto, and make the name of our clan strong again, Itachi told him, begginging to fade away. Sasuke felt the impulse to grab his older brother's hand and make him answer the million questions swarming around in his head, but Itachi was gone, his last few words ringing in his ears as the room—_his_ room, in the Uchiha compound!—began to melt into blackness.

"_Protect your village and become strong..."_

Sasuke scowled into the blackness and muttered under his breath.

"What the Hel, Itachi?"

-

It didn't go unnoticed that, for the first few hours, neither the Uzumaki or the Uchiha slept well. Karin and Juugo were sitting close to Sasuke, with Sakura plopped between him and Naruto. Hinata was sitting cross-legged with her back to the fire, waiting for Naruto to awaken. Kiba was propped up against a rock, Akamaru half-sleeping across his legs. Kakashi was staring into the flames, remembering something from long ago. Gai was on the very fringe of the small camp, staring out protectively into the cold Iwa territories. Rock Lee came over, and with a small smile, wedged in next to Sakura between the two boys. Shikamaru was apparently asleep, but the lazy-ass genius was only contemplating the sky

_I wonder if the stars can really predict things? _Shika tossed this over a few times in his mind, before leaving to trail off with, _Maybe..._

Chouji was the only one who had realized that they would, not matter what had already happened, need something to eat, and had made a satisfactory meal he was letting smoke over the fire out of some rice and bits of sushi in the travel bags. Sai had watched him with mild interest before taking out his picture book and flipping idly through it. Ino was staring blankly at the dinner waiting to be eaten as Chouji checked on it, not really thinking about anything. TenTen sat just watching everybody, trying to picture them all in different types of armour wielding different weapons, just to keep her mind off the battle earlier. Neji sat beside her, his facial expression blank but thoughtful. Yamato watched them all, having already compared the strength of the Uchiha and the Uzumaki earlier, after the battle.

Yamato glanced over his shoulder, then turned his eyes back to the huddle of ninja again. He paid little notice to the small black bug who had just fluttered past his shoulder into the night, and wouldn't think about it again until much later.

-

Things had been still for several hours, and Shino had only recently decided it was safe to recall the bug back from his position watching everything and sending it all through a mental link to Shino.

The Aburame had been waiting a few minutes when he noticed something. Keeping his hands in his pockets, he sent out silent directions to the tidal wave of insects working inside him, and a black cloud of them buzzed softly about his sides.

"Go ahead and check," he said softly, his round glasses flashing as he pushed them back up the bridge of his nose. "And tell me everything."

The mirade of insects blended in perfectly with the sky and not a soul noticed them—not that there was anyone _to _notice them, anyhow, as the following Iwa nin had long since returned to their city—as they hovered over the scene of the death of a man smelling of saltwater and rotting seaweed.

As they returned, Shino wondered why there was an unconscious Iwa Chuunin lying sprawled in the dirt.

-

The sky was pale orange and yellow, shot through with brighter red as the sun rose and Kakashi began to poke people, murmuring softly that it was time to wake up. He meandered through the tightly packed ninja, looking down at Naruto as the boy began to stir.

"Owwww..." Naruto groaned, making Hinata stare at him immediately. "Stupid headache..."

"Do you ever quite complaining, dobe?"

Sasuke's eyes were open, having woken only an instant after Naruto had. Sakura stretched her back from her uncomfortable sitting position, looking down at him, relived.

Naruto snorted, strength returning the longer he was awake. He pushed himself off the ground, ignoring protests, and stretched luxuriously. "Yeah, teme," Naruto said, failing to stifle a huge yawn, "I stop complaining to tell you to get up. We have a mission to finish."


	18. MultiColored Doom

Disclaimer: Swirly claims no property rights of Naruto—the only thing I own is that plotline and the ability to mess with the

**Disclaimer: **Swirly claims no property rights of Naruto—the only thing I own is that plotline and the ability to mess with the characters heads. : P

Naruto: Not even that.

Me: Oh, hush up! I'm pretty pissed, 'cause I had this chapter halfway done and my computer randomly shut down on me! It died, just like that, and erased my chapter! TWICE! AND, on top of this, my dad has forbid me to get on the computer for anything but school-work until my school-year is over (on June 17th), so my update rate will slow even further! GRRWAR!!

Kakashi: Get the chapter started before she explodes!

_BOOM. _

Sakura: -.-" Too late.

-

Walk Like a Shinobi

The team was held up for another half hour as to the fact that Naruto refused to budge until Sasuke practically swore that he wouldn't try and run away again until after the mission. Once that was out of the way, of course, there was the minor problem of something else.

Now that they had three more people to account for, they would have to wedge Sasuke, Juugo, and Karin into some kind of group.

When Sasuke flatly refused to be put into _any _kind of group, the arguments started all over again.

Finally, it was decided that Sasuke, Karin, and Juugo would travel perpendicular to the other teams, but a good distance to the east so that the others couldn't even see them. Shikamaru was repositioned to take over Neji's team as the Hyuuga branch member took a lead position beside Sasuke. Karin was not happy about this at all. No one could tell what Juugo thought.

As the others checked off the last few items to be packed up, Sasuke waited until Neji was talking with Yamato to beckon Karin over to him. She gulped nervously as she stood in front of the Uchiha. "Sasuke-sama?"

Sasuke's voice was dangerously quiet. "Where's the Chuunin?"

Karin resisted the urge to gulp again. "Sugietsu had him, Sasuke-sama."

"And where's Sugietsu?"

Karin blinked, trying to stifle the illogical feeling of panic welling up inside her. She had no idea if Sasuke really didn't know, or if he just wanted to hear her say it aloud. "He's...dead, Sasuke-sama."

Sasuke's eyes darkened. So he didn't know. "Are you sure? He didn't just go crawl to hide under a rock somewhere."

"I-I'm sure, Sasuke-sama."

It looked like a thundercloud had overshadowed Sasuke's face. "Who did it?" Although, he had a very good idea.

Karin mumbled her answer and looked at the floor. When Sasuke continued to glare at her, she cleared her throat and whispered hoarsely, "Naruto."

"..."

Karin looked up, adjusting her glasses nervously. "Sasuke-sama?"

"Damn the dobe!" Sasuke muttered. "Damn him and his ramen-loving ass!"

Karin stared. "...S-Sasuke-...sama??"

"Come on. We're going to go get him."

Karin looked confused and miffed. "Who, Naruto?"

"No," Juugo murmured, making Karin jump. "Sugietsu."

"B-B-But," Karin stammered, pushing her glasses up her nose again. "He-He's dead."

"I know." Sasuke was already buckling his sword on. "We're going to bring him along, anyway."

"Sasuke-sama, I think..."

"Just do as he says," Juugo advised her as Sasuke looked at them over his shoulder with a glint in his eye. "Sasuke knows what he's doing."

Karin slightly doubted it, but said nothing as she leapt off, Sasuke and Juugo right beside her.

Kiba saw them leave and glanced at Shikamaru, who had also noticed. The Dog-Lover and the Lazy-Ass Genius exchanged a glace as Akamaru snuffled in an annoyed way.

This couldn't be good.

-

"Huh?" Naruto looked around, confused. "Where'd Sasuke go?"

Hinata, who had just realized the Uchiha was missing earlier, face-palmed. Naruto blinked, comprehension dawning and twitched, looking exasperated.

"Dammit, Teme!"

-

-

Takoto the Chuunin was still lying face-down in the dirt. A low, steady buzzing sound hummed in his ear, and he groaned softly. Did he have to wake up already? Why? What if those two monsters came back for him? Wait, what if he was already dead?

Blinking his eyes open as his brain digested this question, Takoto swore and sat bolt right up, patting his chest, his arms, his legs, to try and assure himself that he wasn't dead. Breathing in deeply through his nose, he looked around him wildly—he was still in Iwa, and it looked like he was just past the begginging of the wastelands. Takoto exhaled in relief. He was alive, and more importantly right then, he was alone.

Or, so he thought.

A sound like someone shifting in their sitting position reached his ears, and Takoto stiffened. A sigh like the wind through the dry trees of an Iwa courtyard floated by him, and he warily slid his eyes around to the right to see where the noise was coming from.

"It's about time you woke up," one voice said. Then another—was there two people?—added, "**Could the Uchiha really have gained an ally whose genjutsu is so strong? Or are you just too weak?**"

Takoto stiffened. The second voice sounded...wrong. He abandoned all caution and whipped his gaze all the way around, kunai appearing out of his sleeve and staying firmly in his hand. "All right, who's th—" The rest of Takoto's sentence came out as a strangled gasping sound as all the color drained form his face.

Because in front of him there was a giant black and white and green human-plant _thing_, and it was looking right at him.

Takoto's mouth dropped open, and air gushed out of his lungs. He forced his mouth to close, let it fall open, then closed, then open again. Zetsu's expression didn't change, but the white sides' mouth curled slightly at the edges in disgust.

"I'm getting pretty gods damned sick of that reaction."

"**Maybe we should just eat him. Leader-sama would never know.**"

"No, no, no. Our orders are very specific. Bring the Chuunin to Leader-sama so he can perform the jutsu before the Uchiha gets a chance."

"**How boring. Does it have to be **_**him**_**? He's incredibly weak. It would hardly be worth resurrecting Deidara in this fool's body.**"

"Orders, Black, orders."

"**Pity.**"

"Mmmmmm..."

Takoto's eyes had flicked wildly betweenthe two halves of the face as this conversation took place. He hardly understood any of it, of course—his fear was too mind-numbing to comprehend. But he did catch the words, 'eat him'. Takoto blinked twice, then realized that the creature's focus was back entirely on him. Stifling a terrified cry, he scrambled to his feet, stood stock frozen for another second, then turned on his heel and ran fast—faster than he ever had before, a terror he hadn't felt strike the depths of his heart before lending flight to his heels.

He still wasn't fast enough.

The same sighing, exasperated sound like wind through the bare trees of Iwa flitted past Takoto's ears again, making the blurred form of the Chuunin move even faster, heart screaming in his chest and eyes wide in fear. A blur of black and green and white appeared in front of his watery vision, and he was brought to a sickening halt by a fist in his gut.

"Uck!" Takoto sagged, Zetsu's right fist supporting him, before he slid off backwards and hit the dirt, staring up the was a child would if faced with a gunman. Only blank eyed, blank-minded fear registered on his face. Takoto was too far gone and long past coherent thought—a sickening sensation like ice splintering in his gut told him that he was going to die.

"How boring," Zetsu murmured. "**You're right.** **He's not worth eating. Let's get back, before I decide to kill him.**" White sighed. "Fine..."

Takoto had time to scream once before Zetsu and he disappeared.

-

Karin paused. Had she just heard something? A scream? Nah, couldn't be. There was no one in the immediate area besides the Konoha nin and them. And if someone _was _screaming, it certainly wasn't one of them.

A wave of impatience was radiating from Sasuke, putting Karin on her toes and making her movements lanced with haste. How Juugo managed to at least look like he was remaining calm, she couldn't tell. But finally, she had managed to remember the exact spot where Sugietsu had died. Or, rather, been killed. Whichever, Karin decided, jolting back into action when a fresh wave rolled off of Sasuke. She didn't stop again, because even though the Uchiha's face was it's usual apathetic expression, she had learned that the appearance was not to be trusted.

Finally, Karin touched down, smiling slightly with relief as she recognized the area. The smile soon slid off her face, however, when she realized something.

Sugietsu's body—or corpse—wasn't there.

Sasuke and Juugo had touched down beside her. Sasuke's voice was a low, cold feeling murmur in her ear. "Well?"

"H-H-He..." Karin stammered, trying to see some signs that Sugietsu had simply gotten up and walked away, that he really wasn't dead at all and had played them all for saps to escape. There was none—the area looked completely undisturbed but for one set of crazed footprints in the dirt, and Karin easily recognized them as the feetmarks of the Iwa Chuunin.

Juugo intervened, "He's gone, apparently, Sasuke. I can tell you right now that the tracks of the Chuunin don't go very far before disappearing—and they're very recent, too, so it's entirely confusing. But I think that wherever the Chuunin is, Sugietsu was taken to the same place.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed fractionally. He had already come up with a conclusion, and he wasn't liking it. "Taken?"

Juugo nodded, his brow furrowing a little bit thoughtfully. "Hai, Sasuke. Meaning that the same person—or persons—is responsible for both of them gone missing. Who would want an Iwa Chuunin, and the same one we did, no less, along with Sugietsu's body?"

Sasuke had turned around, fingers touching the hilt of his katana ever-so-briefly before starting to head back the way they came. "Damn the Akatsuki," he muttered venomously, "Damn them. Damn Uchiha Madara!"

"Sasuke-sama?" Karin asked, bewildered as Sasuke began leaping the way ninjas do back the way they had come, to the camp full of Konoha ninja. "Does this mean that...we don't need the Chuunin anymore?"

"I think," Juugo murmured as he too started after Sasuke, "That whatever Sasuke has in mind here, it's been postponed...for now."

Karin was left alone in the spinning dust, feeling confused, irritated, and over-all, pissed off. "Oh, because everyone knows what's happening besides me, is that it!?" When no one answered her, she swore and followed her compatriots.

"Damn it!"

-

Naruto stopped and pointed a finger at the growing shapes of Sasuke, Juugo, and Karin. "Ha! Found them!"

Hinata, Yamato, Neji, Kiba, and Akamaru stopped as Naruto folded his arms across his chest as Sasuke walked up to them.

"The Hel, Teme!?" Naruto demanded, "We were just getting ready to leave! You think you're so freakin' cool, but I beat you, and you promised to stay on the mission! So get your sorry Uchiha ass back here so we can leave already! Everyone's worried about you, just like last time!"

Sasuke sent Naruto his customary indifferent stare thought the orange boy's rant. At the end of it, he let out a 'hmpf' and pushed past Naruto. "Whatever. You're the one taking up too much time. Let's get moving then, before you go homicidal again."

Naruto twitched slightly, and Hinata had to stifle a giggle. Kiba smirked, Akamaru woofed, Neji let his posture loosen, and Yamato smiled slightly as Naruto pointed an accusing finger at the back of Sasuke.

"TEME!"

-

"Amazing."

The voice in the soft, velvety darkness was only mildly surprised—Sugietsu barely registered that the last time he had heard that voice, it had been annoyingly chipper and constantly referring to itself as being a 'good boy', whatever the Hel _that _was supposed to compensate for.

The aquatic boy didn't bother stirring as he muttered dangerously, "What's amazing, Goody-Boy?"

The voice chuckled, and the shadows seemed to ripple in response. "Amazing, too, that you can't be more grateful for me brining you back to life."

Sugietsu stiffened, but didn't change his position face-down on the ground. "Oh yeah? I'm supposed to take your word for this?"

"Sure you are, if you don't want me to kill you immiedtely."

Sugietsu leered to himself, twisting his head slightly. "Isn't that sort of pointless, then?"

"Perhaps, but I was just commenting that it was amazing that you really thought I hadn't realized you were conscious yet." He sounding mocking. Sugietsu growled and lifted his head up off the ground.

"Whaddaya want, then, _Tobi_?"

Tobi flicked his hand, re-lighting the dying flame in the lamp hanging from the hook on the wall. The light illuminated him leaning casually against the wall farthest form Sugietsu. "You can call me Uchiha Madara. Or, better yet, Leader-sama." Tobi leaned closer and informed Sugietsu, "Considering that is who I'm going to be to you from now on."

Sugietsu spat at him. The spit fell short, and he growled. "Yeah, right. That'll happen the same time those volcanoes freeze over."

Tobi looked at Sugietsu behind his mask thoughtfully and took a step forward. He let his arms fall to his sides and let loose a sigh. "Oh, well. I was hoping we could come to an understanding about this, but it appears not. I don't suppose Kisame will be too happy about having to use your body, considering he technically lost to you before he came crawling back here."

"Kisame!" Sugietsu snarled, pushing himself to his feet. "He isn't dead yet, the bastard, and I want that sword!"

"Oh, calm down. If you must know, Kisame is dead. You might say that I killed him."

"_What_!?"

Madara, a.k.a Tobi, shrugged mildly and waved it off. "He was so beat up after dragging himself home, I put him out of his misery after the first few hours. Maybe he'll be mad at me for that." Tobi shrugged again and fondled the slim knife that had appeared between his fingers. "Oh well!"

Sugietsu reached for Zabuza's sword, before realizing that it wasn't there. "Wait, what the Hel—"

_Thunk. _

"Bye bye," Madara cooed, reaching to pull the dagger out from its spot lodged in Sugietsu's forehead. "Oh, and welcome to the Akatsuki."

Taking the knife, he oh-so-carefully let a few drops of blood spill along it's edge out a small beaker he had taken from a hidden pocket in his pants. The droplets clung thinly to the blade's very edge, tripping down it's length until they were all collected in one big drop at the very tip, and broke free...

_Plop. _

For a moment, the blood stayed as a tenuous red puddle on Sugietsu's forehead, before it seemed to spread and move of it's own accord and trickle into the slit made by the dagger, filling it and sealing it over as Sugietsu's body began to change...

Longer fangs, sharper fangs. Slightly taller. Spikier hair, bigger hands and feet. Wider body, his skin taking on a tinge that made it look slightly blue...

"...Or should I say," Tobi corrected as he held the handseal, "Welcome back."

The body twitched and groaned, stirring to sit up on the floor.

"**Kontan ****Ribaibaru**," Tobi murmured, letting his hands fall and making room for the man that was Sugietsu and yet wasn't Sugietsu to stand, "**Nibai Kontan Karada no Jutsu**."

"Ugggg..." Sugietsu's voice moaned as his hand rubbed his temples and another voice that was not his added, "_What in the bloody Hel am I doing in this brat's body?!_"

A lopsided grin crept up the side of Tobi's face. Not that they saw it, of course.

"Hoshigaki Kisame and Sugietsu," he said, spinning the knife nonchalantly on his finger tips. "I have a job for you, and I'd like you to carry it out well."

"_Since when are you in charge, Tobi?_"

"Why is Kisame in my brain!?"

Madara leaned forward again so that Kisame/Sugietsu could see through the hole in his mask and get a glimpse of his Sharingan eye...The two souls gasped at once, and Kisame forced the body to clamp it's mouth shut. "_Okay. That changes things._" "No, it doesn't! Gimme my sword, you jackass!" "_Silence, you annoying little welp!"_ Almost immiedtely as Kisame's wrath was invoked, Sugietsu found himself unable to speak, or to even make the body respond to him. If he could've, he would've made the face crinkle in rage.

Tobi grinned wider beneath the mask. "Good. You can shut him up and control the body by yourself. That'll be essential. Now, you and Itachi were originally assigened to capture the container of the Kyuubi, Uzumaki Naruto, correct?"

Kisame nodded. "_Right, what about it?_"

"Well," Tobi had gone back to leaning against the wall, and was feeling very satisfied with himself as he spoke the next words. "Your assignment, Kisame, has changed. I now want you to make sure that Uzumaki Naruto does not re-seal the Kyuubi..."

"...And then, I want you to kill him."

_-_

**Author's Note: **_**DUN! DUN! DUNNNNNNNNNN!! **_

Bwhahaha! I feel all-powerfully evil. : P

Naruto: O,O" This girl has some problems...

Kakashi: **sweatdrop **Yep, obviously...

Sasuke: I WANT MORE SCREEN TIME!

Me: No! You've been hogging the manga chapters recently already, so MEH! **Hits him with a frying pan **

**Enter fight cloud scene here**

Yamato: **sigh **Well, that's it for now, and remember to review...REVIEW! o,0", Sorry, being around her is contagious...ahem. Well, also remember that she won't be updating as frequently like she wanted to, because of the whole computer-ban thing...

Sakura: But you can bet your ass that she'll sneak on anyway! CHA!

Hinata: S-So, um, bye!

Sai: Now why did that sound like an advertisement?


	19. Unwanted Meetings

**Disclaimer: **No, do I look like Kishimoto-san to you? Crimony. : P

Me: Well, I'm gonna TRY and get this up before I leave for Seattle on the 17th—and considering that this is the 16th, I need to hurry the Hel up. -.-"

Naruto: ...Waaiiiiiit...huh?

Kakashi: **sigh** She'll be in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A for a week, Naruto. No computer unless she makes her dad fork over his laptop.

Me: **wince **Yeah, sorry about that, peoples, so I'm gonna try and make this a good long chapter. How's that sound?

Sasuke: Terrible.

Me: **shoots him and chops his head off before reviving the bastard for the fic **If you can't tell, that was your cue to shut the frick up.

Naruto: Damn straight! Just, less head-chopping. I've already owned him for you.

Sakura: I'd be pissed about that if it weren't for the pairing in this story. XD

Naruto: Yeaaaaaahhhhhh... XD

Me: Heh.

-

Walk Like a Shinobi

The frenzied scrambling of the insects had only happened so intensely once before—as in, before the Third Hokage had died.

So Shino had no trouble identifying that something was very, very, very wrong.

He paused again—in Shino's opinion, that happened far too frequently on this journey—and came to a complete halt. The scurrying on the bugs under his skin (literally) and in his hair and in his being seemed amplified now because of his own lack of movement. Shino twitched a finger, but hardly any result came from this. The bugs did not slow down, or even respond to his question.

_What is wrong? _he asked them again quietly.

The mass of beetles and chakra insects and flies cried out at once to him, _Sir! Bad doings, very bad! Queen is upset—turn back, turn back, turn back, or hive will die!_

Shino nearly froze now. The queen was worried—that in itself could mean something infinitely terrible. _Why is she worried?_

_Bad, sir, bad, bad! _exclaimed the bugs, and an intense humming buzz of agreement increased in volume throughout Shino's frame as every insect with him shuddered and used the scent-signal for danger. It wasn't necessary—Shino was only tuning in to one bug now, the rest of the swarm's talk being mentally recorded in the back of his mind. He spoke to her:

_Queen-sama._

Even to the trainer, the Queen bug ruled many decisions. Without her, the swarm would die out, not even an Aburame trainer would have the abilities to save them. Truly, the Queen ruled.

A soft humming lulled Shino's brain, entering through the conversation of the swarm and smothering it in quiet authority.

_Yes?_

_You are worried. _It was not a question.

_Of course, _replied the queen, a bug Shino kept guarded safely in an unreachable cavity in the walls of his heart—literally. _My swarm, in danger. Always worried._

_Why are you worried, Queen-sama?_

_Swarm, _she repeated, twitching her wings so that Shino felt the vibrations in his chest. _Danger. Bad. _

_I see. Queen-sama—bad like poison? _Poison to bugs could be everything—their weapon, their defense, an emergency usage only, food, a drug, a healing substance...and of course, fatal.

The Queen hesitated before flicking her wings again, softer this time against the walls of Shino's heart. Shino almost didn't want to hear what she told him, because it was accompanied by three antennae twitches and the barest leak of danger-scent.

_Yes._

Shino stood still for another moment before reaching up to adjust his round glasses. He left the Queen to calm the swarm (or try to, anyway) and began walking.

Three antennae flicks and the barest trickle of danger-scent. That code had not even been used before the death of the Third. Only in the most dire of moments, where everything and anything could suffer as a result of the future, was that code to be used. The last time an Aburame had felt the Queen give that code, the Kyuubi had attacked Konoha and the Fourth had died (bugs, of course, are very good at predicting disasters). Meaning this was truly something to be worried about, at the _least_.

Because in the language of bug, that code literally meant death.

-

"Alright!" Naruto shouted, pumping his fist in the air and grinning. "C'mon, let's roll-ttebayo!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes and grabbed Naruto by the back of the collar, dragging him back a few steps while Kakashi himself took the lead position of their group. "Are we forgetting who's still a genin here, Naruto?"

Naruto huffed and crossed his arms, plopping down with his legs cross on the dirt ground (which was inconvenient, considering they were supposed to leave, anyway.). "Yeah, well, Sasuke-teme is too, and I didn't see any of _you _guys defeating him, huh?"

Ymato smiled. "Well, who says that we wouldn't have?"

"I do!" Naruto exclaimed, "Because you didn't!"

Sai smiled, bemused. "Well, be clear, Naruto. I can't tell whether you're saying 'you do because we don't say we do', or, 'you do because we didn't stop him.'"

As Naruto's faced puckered into something between disbelief and an urge to hit Sai with a heavy book, Sakura burst out laughing.

"Oh," she said, green eyes sparkling, "You just got burned, Naruto!"

Naruto pouted and slumped further into his sitting position. "You shouldn't be saying something like that, Sakura-chan."

The entire time, Kakashi rolled his eyes and winked at Hinata, who was very close to failing miserably in her attempt to stifle her giggles.

Kakashi prodded Naruto in the back with his foot. The orange boy complained loudly as he whirled around, glaring at Kakashi. That Jounin didn't react but to tell him lightly that sitting there was delaying them even further, and if they were going to get moving, shouldn't Naruto stand up? The Uzumaki scowled and stuck out his lower lip, seeing Kakashi was right, then muttered about lazy-ass sensei giving Shikamaru a run for his money, and he waited impatiently for another second before his team and he shot off again.

Light conversation floated between the travelers, even though the underlying tension of Sasuke once again being out of vision range was obvious. About thirteen minutes (clocked) after Naruto had ended an argument with Sakura (the argument ending with threats of no ramen and starting about how boring Iwa was hardly, huh?), Hinata had worked up her nerve enough to at least try and ask the question nagging at her mind.

Gulping, the shy girl stepped it up another few paces in her speed, until she had effienctly broken formation and was traveling next to Naruto-kun, matching his pace. Naruto turned and smiled at her almost the second she did this—being so quickly noticed by Naruto-kun was still something Hinata was getting used to.

"Yo, Hinata! What's up?"

Hinata played with her fingers nervously, not noticing the amused smiles of their teammates as they turned their attention back to the journey again and let them be. "Um...N-Naruto-kun...I-I w-wanted to know w-who..."

Naruto tilted his head, perplexed. "Who, what, Hinata?"

Hinata closed her eyes as she inhaled deeply and flicked them open again, blushing furiously. "I, well...w-wanted to know...who you were talking a-about." Seeing Naruto's vacant look, she quickly blurted, "W-when you said the K-Kyuubi would h-hurt someone. A g-girl?"

Naruto pursed his lips and titled his head farther, furrowing his brow as he tried to remember what Hinata was talking about. Oh! Right! When he finally told Kyuubi to buzz off and started fighting Sasuke using his normal chakra, he had said something...

Naruto's face brightened. "Oh, right! Well...I don't really know. It's just that I was trying to push Kyuubi back, and then he said something along the lines of, 'disemboweling the girl so that you can't even recognize her anymore'. I don't know who he was talking about."

Hinata nodded, looking below her, trying to hide her disappointment. "O-Oh, well, th-that wasn't nice..."

Naruto laughed, grinning. "Yeah, no kidding." He grinned broadly at her for another second before furrowing his brow again in concentration. "well..." he didn't notice Hinata look back up at him, smiling hopefully. "..There was a shadow of this girl, but I couldn't really see her. I had already pushed Kyuubi out by then."

The Uzumaki's eyes critically studied the back of Sakura's head. If the Haruno had seen him, he would've sported a lump on his head for weeks. Hinata bit her bottom lip, think, _I knew Kyuubi was lying. Of course Naruto-kun doesn't care about me..._

Then, Naruto added thoughtfully, "Funny, but the way the girl's hair swayed made it so that I don't think she was Sakura-chan. Her hair's to short to be the person I saw." He tilted his head to the opposite side now, blinking at Hinata. "Huh. I could almost swear it looked like your hair, Hinata."

Hinata really didn't hear Kakashi telling them to land and take a break—she was too busy smiling and letting her heart soar to care.

-

The absence of Zabuza's sword across his back was highly disturbing to Sugietsu.

Not to Kisame, who was currently in charge of his body, of course. That was because he was swinging Samehada, whistling (horribly, too,) and ambling slowly across the last expanse of land between the double-souled 'human' and the four moving dots ahead of them—a dot with blackish-blueish Uchiha style chuck-butt hair, a dot that was moving more slowly that the others, with bright orange hair, who was circled by a bird. The last dot had long hair and walked like a Hyuuga.

Kisame smiled eerily. This would be too easy.

Once he had sufficiently closed the gap between them, he shouted, using Sugietsu's voice, "Yo, guys! Wait up!"

_Wham!_

In less than two second, 'Sugietsu' had been floored by Sasuke, who was standing with a foot planted on 'Sugietsu's' chest and his katana hovering dangerously close to the aquatic boy's artery.

"Who are you?" Sasuke demanded coldly. Kisame made Sugietsu gulp and raise his hands, chuckling like stone grating on stone.

"Well, who do you think? I die, and this is all the welcome I get? Suck-y."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed fractionally and he pressed the blade against Sugietsu's throat. "I said, _Who are you?_"

Karin hurried over. "Sasuke-sama, it is him! I-I don't know how, but..." Karin eyed the returned boy warily. "...His chakra signature checks out and everything. If anything, the only difference is that it's...stronger."

Sasuke glared down at the boy, who was smiling offhandly. "See? Told ya it was me, boss."

Sasuke growled in the back of his throat, but slowly sheathed his weapon. He stepped off of Sugietsu and turned his back on the boy. Letting out a 'hn', he informed the boy, "Do anything a centimeter out of place and you won't live to see mealtime. Got it?"

Sugietsu gulped again, visibly, and fingered his water bottle nervously. "Right, boss. But seriously, can you slow down? Being dead isn't the greatest when it comes to thirst, ya' know..."

After another second, even the Hyuuga who was scrutinizing him with Byakugan activated turned away, and he fell into pace with the group. Inwardly, Kisame smiled to himself as Sugietsu raged and swore inside their minds.

Questioning would come, he was sure of it, but he had answers ready and had already gotten Sugietsu's mannerisms and way of speech down pat. Not even the Byakugan would be able to see through the excellent Henge that two bodies of chakra had given him. All in all, Kisame concluded, things could not have gone better.

Infiltration complete.

-

The orange mask swiveled to view the small circle of people before him. Only three. A pitiful number, considering that two of them weren't even in their own bodies. And as for Zetsu—well, no one knew what _his _story was, and no one intended to ask, of course (others who had tended to show up at dinner as the main course, obviously).

Feeling his mask begin to slip part-way off his face, Madara raised a hand to reaffirm it's position. Odd. That had never happened before. Maybe the strap was wearing this or something, with all those fights he had gotten into (and won) recently.

Too bad the fights were mostly among his own members.

Well, the member's new body, anyhow.

"_Hey! What the Hel are we here for, un?" _

Tobi looked up, half amused and half irritated. "Excuse me, Deidara-sempai?"

Deidara, controlling Takoto with ease, scowled and pointed his left hand—the only one with a clay-eating mouth—at Tobi accusingly. _"Don't you 'sempai' me, dammit, un! What the Hel are we here for!?"_

_Obviously, _thought Tobi absently, _being dead for so long does not improve one's temper._

"Deidara," Zetsu said, a quite reprimand. Deidara's new head snapped up at the sound of a lecture from Zetsu, of all people. "Watch your tongue." "**Maybe we really should have eaten the Chuunin, then. If we had, we wouldn't have had to listen to this moron anymore.**"

Deidara stood completely out of his chair, sending it crashing behind him as a lump of clay appeared in the shape of a small Namahage in his left hand. _"What did you just say to me, un?!"_

"Oh, shut the fuck _up_, you damned idiots!" snapped Hidan, growling as his neck was shot through by lances of pain. Being sown back together had sucked majorly—the pain wasn't the one he wanted to feel, and was therefore unworthy. He ranted and swore a blue streak—as usual—through the whole ordeal, and the same was happening now.

"_Your tactic for using breath is just like your money-spending habits, Hidan. Wasted."_

And, of course, sharing a body with Kakuzu had not helped improve his mood.

Zetsu growled warningly. "**All of you shut up! Leader-sama is speaking.**" "You would do well to listen."

Deidara in Takoto's body snorted. _"I don't see Pein anywhere. Only Tobi, un."_

Hidan scowled. "If thisis some motherfucking joke—!" _"It'd be a waste if it was, now shut up, Hidan." _"Freaking make me, money-minder!"

Tobi, a.k.a. Madara, sighed and toyed with his knife. This would be harder than he thought. "Listen to me, all of you. For a start..." He leaned forward and removed his mask.

Collective silence greeted him.

Kakuzu spoke first. _"Well. That's valuable information." _Hidan nodded and muttered, "Damn right it is, money-minder." _"And you, obviously, have no value at all."_

Zetsu muttered quietly, "Now do you see...??" "**Listen, idiots. This concerns you particularly.**"

Deidara had twisted Takoto's face into an odd kind of expression. _"Shit, un,"_ he swore, half sitting and groping behind him for his chair. _"I've been insulting Uchiha Madara, un. Damn."_

Sliding the mask back into place and satisfied he had their attention, Madara spoke. He started with, "I'm sure Hel was a fun place to be in for you three, but I have a better time scheduled for you. Some mass murder."

The Akatsuki was listening.

-

**Author's Note: **Well, that wasn't as long as I wanted it to be, but I figured I supplied you all with a torturous enough cliff-hanger. XD (As my Nee-chan said, Kishimoto-sama has taught me well. XD inside joke. ).

So, I'll see you all in about a week, unless my dad lets me take over his laptop. Which I doubt. XD Bye!


	20. Campfire Stories

**Disclaimer: **Honestly, I swear to you I don't even share Kishimoto's DNA! Get over it! : P

Naruto: Wasn't that only supposed to be a week?

Me: Shut up. I got distracted.

Kakashi: Meaning you procrastinated.

Me: I said to zip it.

Sai: Why? We don't have zippers on our mouths, do we?

Me: GRRR...

Lee: " XD Okay, so, we shall now start the chapter of YOUTH! XD

Me: Yeahhhhh...something like that...Oh yeah, and I screwed up the time-lapse, but so far a week and five days have passed. Sorry for the confusion.

Kishimoto: Now why am I here?

-

Walk Like a Shinobi

The dry, never-changing rock landscape passed and shrunk behind them as each group continued moving. They were by now far into the wastelands of Iwa, and no one particularly wanted to spend any more time than needed in the place. Even so, it was almost a relief as night fell and the teams began to draw towards one another. Gai had radioed that he had found a landmark to regroup at and camp by for the nocturnal hours. After all, something looking like a gigantic, misshapen reed flute tended to be hard to miss on the consistently flat terrain.

Naruto dumped his purple backpack off his shoulders near a crack in the tan stone, leaning against the structure and stretching his back. Hearing a satisfying crack, he yawned and slumped against the stone, settling with his face towards the firelight and not bothering to dig out his sleeping bag. Soon, the blonde ninja's head lolled against his chest, and he was snoring lightly.

For a change of pace, Kakashi had taken watch that night for the first shift, instead of Gai. To most of the young shinobi in the group, it looked like the Scarecrow just wanted to give his loud spandex-wearing comrade a chance to rest. To a few of the more perceptive, however, it was clear that Kakashi was watching for Sasuke and Neji's group.

They hadn't come back yet.

"How troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, stretching out on the hard packed ground and folding his arms across his chest. He shot a glance over at Naruto. "I can't believe that idiot went to sleep already," he griped, failing to stifle a yawn. "You think he'd be having a panic attack that Sasuke and Neji aren't back yet."

Chouji nodded, crumpling an empty aluminum bag of chips and storing it in his pack to dispose of later. "Weird, isn't it? Don't you think Neji would have tried to get them here by now?"

Shikamaru didn't respond. After a while, he said, "Who knows? Maybe they were all abducted or something."

Chouji blinked. Ino stiffed where she was sitting by the fire and turned to glare at them. "Don't be ridiculous. I bet they just got lost, that's all. They do have that red-haired bitch on their team. I bet she'd hold them up because she broke a nail or something."

Even though it was unlikely that Sasuke and Neji had gotten lost, neither Shikamaru or Chouji thought it was wise (or worth the effort) to tell Ino that Karin was most definitely a tracker ninja. Or the fact that three years ago, Ino would've held up a group because her nail had broken.

Sparks drifted up lazily out of reach of the flames, twirling slowly through the darkness until their dim amber light snuffed itself out. Out of the corner of his eye, Yamato watched them. He was facing the fire, a bland expression gracing his features. The warm light cast flickering shadows under his eyes, making them look haunted.

Yamato _felt_ a bit haunted, as well. The problems were stacking up, one after another, and he couldn't dismiss or ignore them. Most infuriatingly, he couldn't solve them, either.

Something snapped and clacked against the stone in the black shadows against the cleft of rock. Thirteen heads swiveled towards it, and Naruto jerked awake, blinking wearily.

"Wha...? What iz it?" he mumbled, yawning and pushing himself upright. Shading his eyes with his hand, he peered crabbily into the darkness. "Well, whatever it is, it woke me up. Oi, sensei, what kind of animals live around here? Are they big? Which ones come out at night?"

Kiba hissed at him, "Shut up! No animal living in the wastelands would come close to us, and no, they are not big. Now sit down and keep quiet!"

Naruto sniffed airily. "You're the one making all the noise, you know."

They all ignored him, and Kiba silently got to his feet. Akamaru trotted jovially past Naruto, his nose twitching to pick up a scent. The nin-dog looked over his shoulder at Kiba and woofed, his tail swinging merrily. Kiba nodded to Kakashi and joined Akamaru, saying, "Aka says it's okay. Just a rock falling. We're gonna go for a walk, okay?"

After a second, Kakashi nodded. "Don't go far."

"Right. C'mon, Akamaru..."

"_Woof!_"

After they had padded off, TenTen shrugged and resumed her conversation with Sakura and Hinata. Like flicking a switch, the tension in the camp evaporated and everyone relaxed. Naruto grumbled about Inuzuka's being grudge holders and know-it-alls and slumped back against the stone again, closing his eyes.

"OW! What the Hel was that for?!"

Immediately, the switch was flicked again, and even Shikamaru straightened into a sitting position. The sound of Akamaru snarling and a brief scuffle reached their ears, along with another snap. Swears that might've made a certain Akatsuki member wince grated across the ears of everyone present, and then something pale blue and human-shaped was thrown mercilessly into the center of bristling shinobi.

Akamaru hurtled out of the dark again and planted one huge paw against the intruder's chest as he tried to scramble upright. Curling his lips back, Akamaru growled low and deep in his chest to let the person know, quite clearly, how many organs he'd lose if he tried anything.

Kiba trotted into the light again, wiping his hands off and with a smirk of satisfaction on his face. "No wonder Naruto could kill you. You're a huge wimp."

Sugietsu spat at Kiba and then swore as Akamaru snapped his rather large teeth an inch before his nose. "Oh, get off! I'm with Sasuke! Damn, does this mutt ever _bathe_?"

"You shouldn't be talking," TenTen muttered.

Naruto had leapt to his feet and pointed at Sugietsu accusingly, kunai in hand. "You! You're not dead!"

Sugietsu sneered. "Nice observation, smart one, now get the dog off me! Is this how you treat Sasuke's teammate?"

"Sasuke's _dead_ teammate," Kiba reminded him. "Careful, Akamaru, he might have parasites."

"You have no idea," another voice snapped.

Karin, Juugo, Neji, and Sasuke had all materialized at the edge of the encampment. Neji was not looking happy, a dark scowl on his features as Sasuke glared at Kiba. Karin sniffed, pleased her comment had gotten their attention.

The Uchiha had his hand on the hilt of his sword as he took a step towards Akamaru. Kiba was immiedtely infront of him, eyes black fire as he spat, "He's with you?"

Sasuke met his glare levelly. "Yeah. Unfortunately."

Everyone turned to raise an eyebrow at Neji.

"He caught up with us while we were walking," the Hyuuga told them matter-of-factly, smoothing his features into an expressionless mask, shrugging his shoulders and moving to sit down beside Gai and TenTen. "I don't know why he's not dead."

"Actually," Juugo said, causing everyone to look at him, considering none of the Konoha ninja had heard him speak much. "I'm prepared to ask Sugietsu a few questions." He cast a sidelong glance at Sasuke. "...If that's alright."

Sasuke's nostrils flared and he nodded. "Be my guest." He glared at Kiba again. "You can let him up now."

Kiba told him plainly, "Ask Akamaru. I don't control what he does. I influence it."

The Uchiha furrowed his thin brows together, almost tempted to just shove the large dog off Sugietsu. Thinking better of it and deciding it wasn't worth the effort anyway, he grumbled in Akamaru's direction. "Let him up."

Akamaru didn't move but to growl at Sasuke.

"He said you forgot to say 'please'," Kiba translated, relishing every second that the incredulous expression graced Sasuke's face. He added innocently, "Or do you not know what 'please' means, Sasuke?"

Sasuke ground his teeth, ignoring the sound of TenTen's stifled giggles. He exhaled slowly though his nose and looked at Akamaru sourly. "Let him up..._please_."

Kiba laughed aloud when Akamaru snuffled contemptuously at Sasuke and hopped on and over Sugietsu, planting his paws with more force than necessary on the fish-boy's chest. Sugiestu swore again but shut up when Sasuke started over to him.

Without preamble, Sasuke beckoned Juugo closer. "Go ahead."

Juugo nodded and cleared his throat. "First of all...Why aren't you dead?"

Sugiestu glanced up from where he was examining his arm for claw marks, carefully cradling his broken finger (courtesy of Kiba). He snorted. "I got kidnapped."

Sasuke frowned and cut in before Juugo. "By who?"

"The Akatsuki."

A low hiss ran around the otherwise silent campfire. Shikamaru, with usual malice, said, "And they wasted chakra bringing you back? Too bad, I used to think it wasn't possible."

"Nothing's impossible," Kiba muttered. Akamaru woofed, and Kiba added, "Apparently."

By now, Kakashi had left a clone at his look-out post and crouched directly infront of Sugietsu, at eye level. "And how did they do it?" he asked. "More importantly, why?"

"How the Hel am I supposed ta' know?" Sugietsu snapped, fumbling on the catch of his water canteen. Kakashi caught his wrist in an iron lock, and Sugietsu glared at him sourly. "What?"

"How did they do it?" Kakashi asked again, his voice a dangerous monotone.

Sugietsu almost visibly paled. The controlled anger radiating off Kakashi wasn't something he'd expected. Kisame was trying to get a grip on the reflex panic Sugietsu's body had felt, ignoring the voice of the real Sugietsu in the back of his mind saying. 'We're dead! We're dead and it's all your fault, you blue bastard!'

"I. Don't. Know." Sugietsu gulped as Kakashi's grip on his wrist tightened. "I was _dead_, you know, no thanks to the orange brat. Seriously. I don't know how they did it! Why don't you go ask them?! I'm sure if Sir Subtle over there starts spouting off red stuff again then they'll find _us _quick enough!"

Kakashi came very close to snapping Sugietsu's wrist off it's pivot. His eyes were dark as he saw that the boy he was interrogating really didn't know how he'd arisen from the dead. He ground his teeth.

"Why?"

Sugietsu frowned, on fang peeking over his bottom lip. "What?"

"_Why_?" Kakashi asked again, like it was obvious. "_Why _did the Akatsuki bring you back from the dead?"

"Oh," Sugietsu said, suddenly sounding cocky again. "That's not a question. You should know why." He grinned sharkily and jerked his head at Naruto. "They wanted to brainwash me to kidnap him. Somethin' about his red chakra?"

Another low growl of anger came from somewhere in the circle of ninja. Sugietsu looked at them. "What? You couldn't tell?" he laughed harshly. "I got away, though. Didn't exactly wanna take my chances fighting Sir Subtle again. Being dead once really sucks." He shrugged. "So I busted outta there and came to find you guys again." Sugietsu grinned crookedly again, fangs glinting. "There were only a few of 'em in there. Some dude with an orange party mask like a snail and a big plant freak. I had to give up a few good explosive notes, but I found Kisame's sword. Mine now."

After a long silence interrupted by the snapping of fire embers, Kakashi released Sugietsu's wrist. "Well. Then you deserve a rest."

"Wha? No thanks, old man. I don't need slee—Nnnuhh..."

Kakashi caught Sugietsu as he slumped forward and lay him flat on the ground. Pushing his hitae-ate back up to cover his Sharingan eye, he looked at the shinobi surrounding him.

"No rest tonight," he declared. No one was surprised. "If the Akatsuki is following this idiot at my feet here, then they'll be on our trail. Spread out again. I don't want to see anybody who isn't with me until daybreak. Got that?"

"Understood!" the chuunin and single genin barked, immediately grabbing their packs.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at Sasuke, who had remained silent. "Understood, Sasuke?"

Sasuke met his gaze and nodded. "I get it."

"No," Kakashi told him coolly, "I'm asking you because you don't get it. You _think _you get it, but you don't get it, get it?"

Karin blinked. "Wait, what?"

The Uchiha scowled. "Shut up, Kakashi."

With a incorrigible gleam in his eye, Kakashi waved at them and turned to Yamato, talking quickly and signing with his hands half the time and quietly in code.

Naruto huffed and strutted over to Sasuke, narrowing his blue eyes and peering at the Uchiha, who glared right back at him. "Huh." Naruto crossed his arms across his chest and announced, "Sasuke, you and your stupid 'teammates' are going to get us all killed. Maybe I won't save you next time."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "If any blood is spilt here, it'll be because of you, dobe, not me."

"Yeah, right, Teme!"

Shrugging he truly didn't care (which he didn't, not really,) Sasuke reminded him, "I don't have to deal with a psychotic fox bent on destruction. Meaning you can't fight. I won't be here to save you now, dumb-ass."

"I don't need your help," Naruto muttered. "Besides, your ego is more destructive than I bet even Kyuubi could be."

Karin interrupted their arguing match and snapped at Naruto, "It's really your fault that the Akatsuki might be chasing us, because you killed Sugietsu in the first place, Uzumaki!"

"Too bad he didn't _stay _dead," Sakura muttered to Ino, as they were both eavesdropping. Beside them, TenTen added, "And maybe taken a bath while he was Hel, too."

Hinata nodded shyly, trying to stay out of the situation. She glanced over to where Naruto, Sasuke, Karin and Juugo were standing. She blinked, trying to see what her gut told her was wrong with the picture. Critically looking over first Karin, then Sasuke and Naruto with her Byakugan, she paused upon seeing Juugo.

Tugging on Sakura's sleeve, she pointed. "What's w-wrong with h-him?"

Sakura frowned. "I don't know. Maybe he has a headache?"

"I hear arguing can do that to you," TenTen said.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Especially if you're listening to Naruto argue with someone."

"N-no...he's s-saying something..."

Suddenly, Juugo snarled loudly, swearing at the top of his lungs and baring his teeth. "Dammit! _Damn it! _Too many people...Everywhere!" He glared with deranged eyes at Neji, who was staring at him. "What the fuck are you staring at!? I'll...I'll..._GRAAAHH!_"

"What the—?!" Naruto stumbled backwards as Juugo barreled past him, hands like claws as he swiped at Neji. "What's wrong with him?! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

With a loud _poof_!, eight Naruto clones appeared, crowding in on Juugo. The curse mark scuttled past his eyes, and Juugo froze in a crouch, whipping his head around to stare at the clones encircling him.

He howled and leapt at one of them, who immiedtely ducked back and aimed a punch at Juugo's head. The clone shouted in alarm as Juugo scored a jagged red line through his chest—Juugo was left clawing air as the clone disappeared.

"What is this guy?" one of the Narutos demanded. "He was fine a second ago!"

Juugo screeched and lunged at the Naruto who had spoken, slashing madly. The seven clones remaining evaporated into smoke as the real Naruto grappled with Juugo, rolling across the camp and into the still-hot ashes of the fire pit.

_Wham! _Naruto was sent flying into the rock, landing with a crash on top of the stirring Sugietsu. The fish boy lashed out immediately, scratching a thing red line across Naruto's right cheek. "Get off me, you jackass!"

Naruto scrambled to his feet, purposely stepping on Sugietsu's as he pounded over to the fire pit again. Kunai in hand, he was about to throw it when Sasuke snapped, "Don't move, dobe!"

Naruto glared at him. "What is your problem, teme? That guy attacked Neji! He's completely nuts! Look! That's Orochimaru's curse mark!"

A few collective gasps came from the less-informed of the shinobi, who had barely had time to move before Naruto had hit the cliff. Sasuke replied icily, "I know what it is, dobe. Don't move. Let Juugo calm down before you do anything."

"But—!"

Juugo snarled again glaring between Sasuke and Naruto. "Which one...? Which one do I kill first...??"

"Juugo." Sasuke's Sharingan eyes met Juugo's crazed gaze. "I want you to calm down."

For a moment, Juugo shuddered and shook his head violently from side to side, muttering intelligible things under his breath. Then, he hung his head and slowly raised it again.

"No," he snarled, and hurtled straight at Sasuke.

_Thump. _

Juugo froze in mid-attack, his body twitching before his eyes rolled back to show the whites and he fell to his knees, the pattern of the curse mark reverting to the first stage and receding. Behind him, Shikamaru released his hold on Juugo's shadow. Ino's body stirred where it had fallen to the ground as her spirit reentered. She shuddered and rubbed her arms to banish the goosebumps.

"Remind me to _never _take over his body again," she said aloud to no one in particular.

Chouji gulped and offered his rice cake to her, which she took. "Will do."

Everyone continued to stare as Juugo forced himself to his feet, blinked at them vacantly. Realization struck, and he stared at the ground.

"Sorry," he murmured. "I really didn't mean...Sorry. Terribly sorry. But, if it happens again..." He didn't finish his sentence.

Yamato looked at Sasuke, who kept his face blank. "If it happens again, we'll just knock you out instead." Juugo nodded, offering no commentary.

After one last second of silence, Kakashi coughed loudly, earning himself everyone's attention.

"Well," he said lightly, as if nothing had happened. "Considering our night has been somewhat eventful, I'd _love _to lie down and sleep some more. Only, that may have to wait until morning, considering we also may have some mass murderers on our tails. Regroup with your team leaders, and I want to be a good mile apart from the rest of you. No offense, but I'll radio if I need help."

Sakura gulped. "R-Right, sensei," she whispered, looking pale as she grabbed her pack. "Naruto, Hinata, Sai, come on. You heard him. Let's go."

Sai grabbed Naruto's sleeve and pulled him over, beckoning to Hinata to hurry. "Good point." He waved jovially. "See you all tomorrow, I guess."

"I think it already is tomorrow..."Lee mused. Gai looked up to study the velvet sky.

"I believe my young student is right," he declared, glancing to Kakashi.

The silver-haired jounin sighed in an irritated way. "Alright then, I'll see you all after a non-stop run at noon. Pleasant travels."

A collective groan arose from some of the chuunin (and one genin, of course). Running for twelve hours straight? Wonderful.

"Troublesome..." _But,_ Shikamaru added mentally, _a nice way to forget the night. _

Without another word, the groups shot off. No one noticed the small red dot on Naruto's shirtsleeve, and if they did, they dismissed it as long-dried blood. As 'Sugietsu' saw Naruto's team shrink until he couldn't see them anymore, he smothered a grin. He wouldn't need to see Naruto anymore. It would be far to easy to track him. Kisame made a mental note to thank Juugo later; that temper-attack had truly come in handy. He'd thought it would be much tougher to stick Naruto with a tracking device, after all.

-

**Author's Note: **Well, in my opinion the chapter was pretty boring. o,0 Not my place to decide, is it? Oh, and I was going to try to practice my 'mysterious happenings' by not telling you why Sasuke couldn't stop Juugo, but I think that I've given you guys enough unexplained stuff right now...So here it is; Sasuke's level two curse mark gave him mutations, just like it did to Juugo and Kimimaru. Well, without it, there was no contact between him and Juugo when Juugo had one of his moments again. Thus, Sasuke can't do squat. (yes I know that's bad grammar, but I think Juugo is really cool and shouldn't have to rely on the Uchiha anymore. -.-" My twisted brain, ne?)

In other news, Nee-chan comes back form camp tomorrow! YAY! **ahem **: D

Naruto: She has a sister?

Kakashi: BluPiratePuppies (on Fanfiction) is Swirly's nee-chan, apparently. She went to camp for two weeks and Swirly had been bored out of her mind. Plus, she refuses to see WALL-E without her, so she's trying to resist quoting the promos every other second.

Me: WAAAAAALLLLL-EEEE!

Sakura: -.-" Well, THAT didn't last long...

Sai: Did you really expect it too?

Me: XD

Kishimoto: Huh?

Me: Get outta here, dude! : P BWHAHAHAAA!

Once again, sorry it took longer than promised to upload and sorry for the sucky chapter. -.-" Peace!


	21. Misguided Directions

**Disclaimer: **Once again, I swear to you I'm not Kishimoto. 'KayThanksBye. XD

Naruto: It's been about 2 weeks, Swirly, you know that?

Me: Don't remind me.

Naruto: But...I just did...

Me: GRRRRRRR...

Naruto: O,O"?!

Kakashi: **sigh **She's been going on a typing spree today, Naruto. Her fingers hurt.

Me: That's over four chapters of Ask Bleach, one chapter of Hockey Nin, one chapter of Wayward Shurikens, this chapter right here, and a bunch of unreleased stuff that I haven't uploaded to the site yet! I NEED AN ICE PACK! **fingers fall off **DAMN IT!

Shino: **shrugs **It's your fault for putting it all off until now, you know.

ME: Oh, shut up, bug boy...**grumbles **

Sai: Well, it is.

ME: **death glare **New. Chapter. NOW.

Lee: O,O" YOSH! **presses the chapter button **Enjoy the youthful chapter, peoples! xD

Neji: ...Something like that...

-

Walk Like a Shinobi

Tsunade blinked in the darkness of her room, trying to remember what had woken her. Aside from her breathing and the rustle of sheets, there wasn't much noise to speak of. She didn't remember having any dreams yet. Rolling over to face the clock, she furrowed her brow and pursed her lips. One-twenty-two A.M. What could possibly have woken her at this hour?

Oh. Right. The window.

Sighing in irritation, Tsunade slipping out of bed, crossing the room silently to the open window that was gently tapping against the wall with the breeze. Pausing before she closed it, Tsunade looked out over the night-cloaked village. Nothing stirred but the swinging shop signs and the ninja with midnight shifts.

Savoring the cool breeze for another second, the Godaime Hokage swung the window back into place and pushed it securely closed. There was a small _click _as she flipped the latched and locked it, but that was all.

With another weary sigh, she turned around and padded back to her bed. As she reached it, something rustled in the corner of the room. Immediately turning her head to scrutinize the purple-hued shadows, Tsunade stared as a pair of almond-shaped, glowing red eyes stared out at her.

A pair of shuriken immediately appeared in her right hand as Tsunade called out harshly, "Who's there?"

No response came from the eyes but to glow more fiercely in the dark. Against her judgment, Tsunade blinked. The eyes were gone.

For another minute and a half, the Hokage stood stock still by her bedside, reaching out with her senses to find what had awoken her, what had been crouching with glowing red eyes in the corner of her bedroom.

Sending her awareness sweeping out over the village, she could detect nothing amiss.

"I'll look in the morning," she muttered to herself, tucking the shuriken under her pillow just in case. With a growing sense of dread, her brown eyes slid closed again. "A fox..."

And, now perched on the very peak of the Hokage Mountain, a single red kitsune stared out over the village. The scent of the others were drawing ever closer—they had all gotten the call from the King; the order to amass outside Konoha and wait. One by one, they were gathering. After fifteen years, the King would call upon their power again. This time, without interference from the Masked One. Slowly, living in the shadows and coming closer every second, an army was gathering to march on Konoha.

An army of foxes.

-

It was a half hour past one in the morning when Naruto felt the strange chill ripple through his body. Not faltering in his rapid pace beside the others, he frowned. That was weird. The night was already chilly, but they'd been running for over an hour by now and Naruto hadn't felt the chill in ages.

Not to mention what the ripple had felt like. As though he had stepped through a giant cobweb, or was immersed in ice...

Eyes widening so that they were round like dinner plates, Naruto remembered stories about cold spots. They meant you had just walked through a ghost. The Uzumaki hated ghosts. Gulping and looking around him warily, he muttered, "Sorry. Didn't mean to step through you."

Sai looked across at him. "What was that, Naruto?"

"Er, nothing, Sai, I'm fine..."

"Don't look fine," Sakura commented. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Urk!" Naruto glared at her, eyebrow twitching. "What do you mean, ghost? I've never seen a ghost in my life!"

"Not r-really, Naruto-kun," Hinata piped up, reminding him. "R-Remember when y-you and Kiba and Akamaru a-and I had to go to a m-mission to that mansion?"

Naruto shuddered, shaking his head violently. "Nope! Don't remember that at all, Hinata, why?!"

Ignoring the note of panic in Naruto's voice, Sakura turned to Hinata. "Oooh, I haven't heard that story before. What happened?"

"Gack!"

"W-Well, you see..."

Hinata went on to tell the story of the mission she, Naruto, Akamaru and Kiba had been assigned over three years ago dealing with a haunted mansion, and Naruto tried to block it out by plugging his ears, which Sai found amusing. Smiling secretly to himself, Kakashi scanned the way before them again and pretended like he wasn't listening. Besides, there was something more important that he needed to watch for. The first volcano.

They were close.

-

The Aburame already knew what had happened.

He was barely an hour behind his comrades now. And what was more, _they _were only a week away from the lake and volcanoes. They would all have their first sight of them in a few hours—it was hard to miss the gigantic, fiery mountains against the dark skyline.

Deciding that he'd be more fit to make his presence known to them if he were to rest, Shino came to a halt. As he considered how fast his companions were moving, he calculated that he'd be another good day away by the time they stopped.

Selecting the shadowy shelter of a protruding boulder, Shino tucked himself into the small niche in the rock, watching the sky for dawn, when he would sleep. Until then, he had plenty of time to mull over the report he'd been given by the bugs. After all, how could someone with two spirits walk with the Konoha shinobi?

-

A week away from the approaching ninja, a tall man with black spiky hair reclined against the wall, propping his head on his chin. He surveyed the marginally larger group in front of him—mentally assessing how well they had adapted to sharing a body, he decided that it would be enough. Tobi straightened himself and folded his arms across his chest.

"So, you all are ready by now?"

Deidara pumped his left fist in the air. "Hel to the yes, un! You never answered my question from last time, though."

Mentally, Madara sighed. Although he was fully aware of what the explosives expert was talking about, he asked, "Question about what, sempai?"

Deidara scowled. "I told you to stop calling me that, un. Not only are you way older than me, you could kick my ass. So stop mocking me."

"Whatever you say, sempai."

"Dammit!"Deidara's nostrils flared, and he glared at Hidan/Kakuzu as Hidan started laughing. "Shut up, Hidan. And you remember just fine what I wanna know, Madara, un! You gave us the plan. We all have to do something to control the Guardians. We get it. But where the Hel is Pein? Not to mention Konan! I haven't seen them since you brought us back, un!"

In his own, re-assembled body, Sasori nodded in agreement. "I concur. I'm well aware by now that you're the one controlling this operation, but where _are_ Pein and Konan? I haven't seen them."

"That's what I just said, Sasori no Danna, un."

"Disregarding your agreement," Madara interrupted, wary of an argument about 'fine art' breaking out between the two, "I do not intend to tell you what's become of Pein or his partner."

"_Why not?"_ Kakuzu's voice asked quietly. Hidan added, "Yeah, why the fuck not?"

Tobi sighed as if it were all very troublesome. He glanced at Zetsu. "Because I have no idea where they are."

"Say what!?" Deidara and Hidan both exclaimed at once. Glaring at each other, Hidan added, "That's screwed up. Seriously."

Madara pursed his thin lips behind the mask and flicked his eye over to Zetsu, who stood with a groan. "**None of you**," Black informed them, "**have any need to know why Pein and Konan have gone missing.**"

Before they could protest, White took over. "But we'll tell you why anyway, because your minds need to be sharp and your chakra needs to be focused to do what you have to. Pein and Konan were sent to track down and capture the nine-tailed-beast's container, Uzumaki Naruto. They invaded Konoha without attracting attention, but for the gathering of some ANBU forces and the Hokage. They left immiedtely, because he was not there."

"So where was he, un?" Deidara demanded, looking at Sasori for support. The Puppet Master nodded vaguely but gave no other sign he truly cared.

Black sighed but let White continue. "He wasn't there," the moon-half said, pausing and looking around for a second, "because he was in the dimension of the summoning beasts."

Deidara blinked and swore. "Well, shit, un! How'd he manage to do that?"

"_I should think,"_ Kakuzu spoke, _"that a reversed summoning was used. In other words, a sage technique. That's some pretty pricey jutsu to learn. Most people end up dying."_

"Interesting," murmured Sasori, looking to Zetsu again. "What else?"

"**As far as we know, Konan and Pein followed him there by weaning the secret to reverse the summon out of their own summoning animals**," Black picked up, the whole head nodding to affirm what Kakuzu had said. For a moment, he paused. Then, "**They haven't come back**."

Silence met this announcement. After another second, Hidan laughed harshly. "Well, no shit they didn't come back!" he cackled, grinning. "Seriously. Do you think an entire plane of the universe would just allow two S-ranked criminals who're after the hide of someone who signed a contract with them to just pop into and out of their home? Yeah right!"

Deidara glared at Hidan, but Sasori nodded. "He has a point. Uzumaki signed a contract with the summoning frogs. He'd be under their protection should he pass into their sanctuary. Whether he knows about Pein and Konan's arrival doesn't matter, as he is clearly back in the human world by now."

"_Clearly,"_ muttered Kakuzu.

"That's enough," commanded Madara, stepping out of his shadows so that he was fully revealed in the dim light. "It'll take the Konoha ninja—and Sasuke's group—another week to get here, at the latest. It'll take each of you about that long to subdue the Guardians and have them fully under your control. That needs to happen before they get here. I don't want any problems. Understood?"

"Yeah, un. We get it."

"Whatever, man, seriously..."

"_You're annoying me, Hidan."_

"Well too damn bad!"

"**Silence**!" Black snarled, glaring at the layback Akatsuki members. White said, "Madara just asked you a question."

Deidara glared at Zetsu and pursed his lips. "And I said yeah, un. We're ready."

Sasori sighed. "Deidara, you have no tact..." He faced Madara. "I'm set to go."

Madara nodded curtly in his direction. "Good..." he raised an eyebrow (a wasted movement) at Hidan and Kakuzu. "...Are you two?"

Hidan glared at him. "Screw it. Can we just leave already? Seriously." _"I'm prepared as well. I'd like permission to stifle this idiot, though." _"Fuck you, moneyminder!"

Madara ignored the argument and glanced at Zetsu. The plant-man nodded back formally and Madara glanced at his murderers. "Then go ahead."

In a storm of smoke, all of them but Zetsu and Madara vanished. The ancient Uchiha sighed and reminded himself of the date. It had been two weeks and a day since the Konoha ninja had set out to the volcanoes, meaning if the one-month time-span of the eroding seal was true, then they just might barely make it. If it took thema week to arrive at his hideaway, then they would appear the night after the full moon.

Madara grinned. Foxes were known to become active at the full moon.

Perfect.

-

Three hours had passed since Naruto had felt the strange chill. It was somewhere around five o'clock in the morning, and the orange boy felt dead on his feet. Reaching lazily into his pocket for a food pill, he crunched down on it and sighed in relief at the rush of energy his body felt.

Yawning hugely and stretching his arms, he realized he was lagging a pace behind the others. Pushing forward, he danced lightly past everyone except Kakashi, who he drew level with. Elbowing his teacher in the side, he glared at the jounin.

"Twelve hours of no sleep and running until noon. Smart idea, sensei," Naruto told him sarcastically. Kakashi glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and returned his watch to the way ahead. Irritated by a lack of response, Naruto huffed noisily and crunched viciously on another food pill. "Jerk," he grumbled.

Kakashi had a good reason for ignoring him, though. The sky had started to lightening from deep bluish-black to a dark indigo. So far it was only a smudge on the horizon, but Kakashi was positive he could see...

Suddenly, the jounin smiled, tapping on Naruto's shoulder. "What, sensei?" Uzumaki demanded, wondering if he was about to get hit with a confusing metaphor. Instead, Kakashi simply pointed ahead of them and the blurry outline.

"Do you really want to stop running now?" the Hatake asked lightly as Naruto's eyes widened.

Naruto ignored Kakashi and forced his legs to move faster. Looking back over his shoulder, he called to the others, "Move it, you slowpokes! We're almost there!"

Rubbing their eyes and looking up to where Naruto was pointing, the rest of the group gasped. Sai contemplated how he would shade the triangular, sharp peaks if he were ever to paint them, and what color of red or orange he'd use to paint the bright rivers trickling down the sides.

They were a week away from the Burning Sea.

-

**Author's Note: **THERE! HAHAHAHAAAAA!

Kiba: I think she's lost it...

Sakura: Not that she ever _had _it, mind you.

Kiba: Ah. Good point.

Me: Oh, shut up. Oh, and just so you people reading this know, I screwed up the time lapse _**AGAIN**_. Yes, it's been two weeks and five days. My bad. T,T

Kiba: Oh. That explains a lot...BUT NOT WHY YOU HAVE US RUNNING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION!

Me: Well, none of you know the Akatsuki are hiding in the volcanoes! You might've asked Sugietsu which direction he'd come from! (Not that he'd have been truthful, of course.)

Sakura: ...I...hate...you...CHA!

Me: Yeah, join the club, Pinky.

Pinky (my insane clone): What club!? Do they have jackets?! Are they BLUE!?

Me: **hits her over the head with a fire extinguisher **Oh, shut up...Besides, you guys have to go to the volcanoes anyway, remember?

Naruto: Kyuubi gets a Death Note for this...

Hinata: I thought we were in _Naruto_?

Me: No referencing! That's like breaking the fourth wall! Dear gods, people...Ahem. XD Well, anyway, yeah, sooo...THERE WAS NO SASUKE IN THIS CHAPTER! WA-HOOO!

Sasuke: I have a staple gun—!

Me: And I'm the one with the plot twists, so HA! XP

Karin: O,O"

Me: Well, anyway...wow, really long author's note, and I'm not even saying anything important...Oh, yes—a couple more people I hate are going to be showing up soon, just to make this a little bit harder...

Naruto: For who, you or us?

Me: Oh, shut up...I'm going to go upload all the stuff I wrote now. Bye!

Naruto: Erm, bye?


	22. Unwlecome Guest

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Whoopee!**

Naruto: Um...yay?

Me: I finally figured out how to work the stupid stinkin' Word files on this thing!

Kakashi: Word? You're in Pages. This is the iMac, remember?

Me: Yes, and I hate it with all my passion. I miss my PC. I KNEW HOW TO OPEN TABS AND

COPY AND PASTE AND GET TO MY FOLDERS ON THE PC!

Sakura: Well SOMEONE'S not happy here...

Me: Damn right I'm not. But I finally got the ability to update back, even if my other non-fanfic

related things still need to be transferred to here...I can do that later. Now, to satisfy myself by

indulging in my own version of ninja violence! Hurrah!

Sai: ...Sarcasm much?

Me: Yyyyup. XD

-

Walk Like a Shinobi

The vixen hadn't moved an inch since her sisters had arrived.

More and more of them, red foxes and gray foxes of all ages and dispositions began to creep in and fill the space behind her. Only so far, there were no males.

They could hear it. Even the oldest she-fox present, with ruddy amber fur streaked with gray and silver and milky eyes, she could hear it, too. The sound of many paws leaping over patches of briar, scrambling over a boulder, splashing through a stream or running over earth. The males were coming. When they arrived, the vixen who had come first would move to greet them. Then, as dusk fell and the humans below them halted in their activities, they would begin preparations.

There was hardly a week left until the full moon. The army had to be ready to sing.

-

"Brrr," Naruto muttered, rubbing his arms to dispell the goosebumps that had suddenly appeared. He shook his head before his imagination could once again fill it with thoughts of ghosts, but his eyes flitted around warily all the same. He was a ninja. He was trained that way.

Satisfied that he hadn't walked through a specter, Naruto scowled at the ground and muttered, "Second time in two days. What the heck?"

Sai looked over at him, just as he had the first time Naruto had felt the chill. "What was that, Naruto?"

"Nothing, Sai. I'm good."

"Oh, okay. Because if you're about to explode on us again, I'd like some forewarning, you know?"

Naruto glared at him. "Shut up, Sai. Forget you."

"Hey, hey, be nice to each other," Kakashi called over his shoulder mildly. "I know we haven't been getting much sleep, but that's no reason to snap each other's heads off. Right, Naruto?"

Naruto scowled again, this time at his teacher. "Be quiet, sensei. I got plenty of sleep last night. Or, yesterday, or, today, or whatever I should call it."

"Naruto, we ran until noon and then rested until ten tonight. It's not that hard," Sakura informed him. Naruto made a face.

"Yes, and now we're running again. This is ridiculous! If the Akatsuki bastards had been going to catch up to us they would have by now! How do we even know they're following that fish kid, anyway? If it were me, I'd let him go and wave while he escaped."

"Right, Naruto," Sakura said sarcastically. "Maybe you should just join the Akatsuki and _then _tell us your point of view. It'd make more sense that way, huh?"

"I'll get right on that," Naruto muttered. Kakashi chuckled.

"Ah, the sweet sound of teens arguing at twelve in the morning." He grinned Naruto started complaining again. He was actually happy that so far, Hinata was the only one who hadn't joined the argument. She kept things just a little more surreal, if you could use that term.

"...And besides, why are we hurrying to get there so fast, anyway? Kyuubi hasn't spoken up once since I kicked Sasuke's butt! Honestly, I haven't even had any nightmares since--"

"Naruto, we're hurrying because even if the fox takes an oath not to cause problems agian, we don't trust him!" Sakura snapped, losing her patience. "It's not something we can gamble! Your life--and sanity--are at stake, and if don't seal you back up in time, the rest of the world is going to have to face whatever the result is! Don't you get that?!"

Naruto stared at her and remained silent, turning his gaze to the ground again. "Yeah, Sakura-chan. I get it."

"No, I don't think you do--!"

"Um...Sakura-san, I th-think that Naruto-kun really does understand...but..." Hinata blinked and twiddled with her fingers anxiously when everyone but Kakashi turned to look at her. "...erm...It's just that...well..." She took a deep breath and forced the rest out of her all at once. "It's just that, if we all continue to be so sad and mean about it, we'll treat it as the only thing that matters anymore, and if we do that, then in a way, Kyuubi will have more power than ever because we'll be acting like we've already lost." She flushed furiously and added, "Does that...um, make any sense a-at all?"

Slowly, Sai nodded. "I guess it does, Hinata. So, Naruto, you're just trying to be positive. Odd."

Naruto opened his mouth to retort, but then said, "Yeah, that's it. Just not trying to be like Sasuke. 'Cause if we're like him, then we really have lost, right, Sakura-chan?"

"No, we won't have lost if we act like Sasuke-kun, Naruto, we might actually get somewhere!" she threw at him. Then Sakura softened a little bit. "Well, I mean that as long as we don't _really _join our enemies while we're here, huh?"

Naruto grinned. "Yeah, that'd definitely help a little bit. Looks like I'm not joining the Akatsuki after all!"

They all laughed, and unseen to them, Kakashi smiled. Yes, Hinata was definitely the one who kept things surreal, all right. _Thank goodness_, he thought.

-

"Madara-sama."

The person in question looked up, appraising the start of Zetsu as he appeared out of the floor. The plant-man didn't look any worse for wear, but neither side of the face looked happy. "Yes?"

"We may have a problem," White told him quietly. When Madara didn't speak, Black interrupted the silence. "**Something...unexpected...has occurred.**"

"Oh?"

"**Yes...Or, rather, some_one_.**"

Madara frowned. "Explain."

"We can't be sure it's them, but the signs are nearly positive." "**They are headed for the Konoha shinobi.**" Black paused. "**More specifically, Sasuke's group.**"

Madara's frown deepend as he put the pieces together. Dammit. And things had been going so well, too. "Does Sasori know?"

Both sides spoke at once, telling him, "**_No._**"

"Hmmm..."

"**_Shall we keep it that way?_**"

"Yes. This complicates things. We don't need him abandoning his post for this. Where are they right now?"

"**_It's only one of them. They separated, after...well, you know which one was dominant. Then, the bastard went around bringing his minions back._**"

Madara scowled. "Ah. And only one is going after our visitors?"

"**_Yes._**"

"Which one?"

"**_The...'trusted' one._**"

"What?" For the life of him, Madara couldn't comprehend _that _riddle. "The fool is more insane then I thought. Who brings back someone who tried to take your power away from you? No matter. Are you positive?"

Zetsu hesitated. "More or less," White told him. "**As we said before. It's hard to tell.**"

Madara sighed and carefully set aside his brush, recapping the bottle of ink before standing. "Well, then, you know what to do. Keep him busy, and away from our soon-to-be-guests. We don't need something like this interfering with our work."

"**_Yes, Madara-sama._**" And Zetsu was gone.

Taking off his mask, Madara sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. How ridiculous. What did it take to kill someone these days? He was about to leave the room and make sure his members hadn't gotten themselves fatally inured dealing with the gaurdians yet, when the air in the room thickened. Sliding his mask back on, Madara turned to face the bowl of water on the far end of his desk.

The water sloshed and darkened, inching up the sides of the bowl as the vapor in the air was dragged in to fill it. Madara watched with a bored expression as the liquid once agian changed colors from opaque blue to bright turqouise. A face started to form in the bowl, the mutilated face of a demon, grinning at him.

"Stop that," Madara told the face. "That's completely unescessary. Now give me your report, Kisame. I am not in the mood."

The face grinned again and laughed, transforming into the sharky features of Kisame. "Right, sorry boss. Was wondering whether I'd be allowed to get creative here. Nevermind!"

"Report, Kisame," Madara growled. "Zetsu was just in here with news. Say your piece."

"Right. We've started moving again, and this time it's until seven a.m. These jounin are keen to make it to the volcanoes before the month is up. I haven't been able to get anything out of Sasuke. He still doesn't trust Sugietsu." Kisame laughed. "Can't blame him there. The little squirt was always a liar and a thief. That's why they don't have any problems believing what I said about stealing Samehada."

"Is that it?"

"Pretty much. Nothing left to say except that the tracker is working fine. The Jinchurriki's group is due west of Sasuke's. I can keep a tab on thier position and status easily enough. What was Zetsu's news?" Kisame asked, smirking lopsidedly. "Do we have a weed infestation?"

"You could say that..." Madara nodded curtly at Kisame. "Zetsu will deal with it, but it would be nice if your kept an eye out."

Kisame's face mutated into a frown in the bowl. "What's going on?"

"We have an extra guest. A rather unwanted guest."

"Who is it?"

Madara glared at him. "You know. Just keep him away from Sasuke."

Kisame blinked. "Ah. Shit."

"Now go."

Kisame left. Madara sat back down at his desk and began scribbling on his scroll again.

_Of course this happens now, _he thought with some bitterness but not much concern.

_Of course._

-

Tossing his head back and gulping down the water he had just used to communicate, Kisame sighed and swiped an escaping drop off his chin. Stnading up and streching, he jumped off the top of the boulder he had been perched on and jogged back over to Karin, Sasuke, Juugo, and Neji.

The Hyuuga eyed him coldly. "What were you doing up there for so long. It looked like you were talking to yourself."

Sugietsu sneered at him. "Maybe I was. What's it to you?"

Neji's nostrils flared, but he kept silent. Sugeitsu spat and grinned. "That's what I thought."

"Really, though," Karin complained. "What were you doing?"

"None of you buisness either."

"Why, you--!"

"Quiet," Juugo suddenly said, straightening. "I heard something."

Immiediately, they fell silent. Sasuke's dark eyes scanned the area around them, then muttered out of the side of his mouth, "Northwest. Five meters."

Silently, Juugo slid off his perch on the bleached-white, long-dead tree and casually strolled northwest. After five meters, he stopped and stretched, scratching the back of his neck as though he were bored.

Without warning, Juugo whipped a kunai out of his sleeves and hurled it in front of him, keeping tight hold on the string attached to it. It spun in the air and _thunked _into the ground. For a second, nothing happened.

Then, just a foot and a half past the kunai, something started to rise out of the cracks in the earth. Color gradually seeped back into the tall figure's robes, and the appearance that he was made of rock was cast away.

"Ah, me," sighed the man, letting his hood fall back and pushing his round glasses back up his nose. "It looks like Sasuke-kun hired body gaurds. I wondered where you two had gone after Sasuke-kun had left us, Suigetsu and Karin."

Neji was immiedately on his feet, Byakugan activated. "What are _you _doing here?!"

Smiling sadistically, the newcomer chuckled. "I should ask you the same thing, but it's painfully obvious. The Konoha ninja didn't want to leave you unsupervised, did they, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke stood slowly, katana in hand. "No. They did not."

The sun glinted off his glasses, making it hard to see one of his eyes. The visible orb narrowed evilly. "Neither did Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto said.

-

_**(((I AM SORRY FOR THE REUPLOAD! If you read it when the font was wacked out, double sorry! BLAME MY FUCKING iMAC!**_

_**kicks iMac **__**DAMMIT! Okay...on to the real Author's note. Sorry! "))**_

...

**Author's Note: **I'd cackle madly, but I feel like I did that wrong...

Naruto: I really hate you.

Me: Get in line.

Okay, so, I'm really really really extra super omega sorry if I spelled character's names wrong,

and I know I have some pretty stupid typos in here. I don't know how to find the spellcheck on

this damned iMac. If anybody reading this knows how to work one, please please PLEASE, with

a one-shot dedicated to you, help me out here, okay? PLEASE.

Kakashi: Are you begging?

Me: ...Shut up.

So..anyway...

Sasuke: You're dead to me, Swirly.

Me: Uh-huh. Good for you, jerk.

ANYWAY...Actually, that's about it. Um, see ya'! And, seriously, I need some help here (with

the computer! XD)...Please? "


	23. Glasses

**Disclaimer: **Zip, zero, nada, the end. Kapeesh? : P

Me: Yeah...I spelled 'capishce' wrong, but you get the idea. " Sooooo...I'm in trouble.

Sakura: No kidding.

Me: I'm sorry! I just kind of...didn't...do it.

Naruto: Noo, really!?

Me: -.-" Well, I can see this is going nowhere. Um, anyway, yeah...Chapter time!

Kakashi: More like 'about time'. XD

-

Walk Like a Shinobi

The heat in the air would have been nearly unbearable even if it wasn't strung with tension. But Kabuto stood there, looking smug and pleased with himself. The look of surprise, and then malice, on Sasuke's face was perfect--Kabuto was having fun.

Sasuke hissed between his teeth. "Don't screw around. Orochimaru is dead. I killed him."

"Ah, that's right!" Kabuto said, as if just remembering something. "You hadn't seen it yet, have you?" He made a 'tch' noise in the back of his throat and pushed his glasses up. "Funny. I thought you would at least _know _about my little...experience. Hasn't Naruto-kun told you? _He _knows."

Sasuke tensed. Juugo's eyes flicked between his leader and Kabuto. Things were about to get very ugly.

"Naruto hasn't told me anything worth knowing," Sasuke said in a low voice. "What ever your problem is, Kabuto, you should get out of here. I'm not happy."

"Are you ever, Sasuke-kun?" Kabuto mused, almost to himself. Sasuke's face contorted, but Kabuto seemed not to notice. "Even after killing your brother, you seek revenge...it's just not enough for you, is it? I can see why Orochimaru-sama wants you back so badly..."

A bolt of lightning shot out, aimed straight at Kabuto. The glasses-ninja spun out of the way, crossing his arms and protecting his face with them as Sasuke's sword elongated and tried to spear his face.

The tip of the blade buried itself in the wooden protectors Kabuto had bound around his wrists and forearms. Twisting his arms and wrenching the sword free, Kabuto pushed off the ground and landed behind Sasuke as the Uchiha lunged forward. The two came to a dead stop, facing away from each other as the dust settled.

No one else had moved.

"Could you explain to me why you joined the Akatsuki, at least?" asked Kabuto lightly, apparently unconcerned with his death wish. "No offense, but that cloak looks horrible on you. Itachi deserved it a bit more."

In three fourths of a second, Sasuke was in front of Kabuto again, his katana coming down in a flashing electrified ark. Kabuto barely had time to twist to the side before the sword slice through the spot he had just been standing in.

The earth cracked under the impact of the concentrated lightning charka crackling down the sword. Kabuto dropped to his hands and swung his legs in a low kick, and Sasuke jumped above it easily. As though he were break dancing, Kabuto flipped himself over so that he was balancing on both hands like a demented crab. Changing the direction of his kick, his right foot connected solidly with Sasuke's hand, jerking the sword point away from him.

Kabuto bent his arms at the elbows and hurled himself forward, grappling with Sasuke and trying to keep the Uchiha's sword hand pinned to his side. Kabuto's right hand lighted with medical chakra, jabbing like a dagger towards Sasuke's neck.

_Pow! _Juugo appeared out of nowhere between them, shoving Sasuke one way and Kabuto the other. With a demonic snarl, he lunged at Kabuto, massive fists swinging to take his head off. Kabuto parried the first few blows, keeping his hands flat with the palm facing out. The chakra dancing across Kabuto's hands seemed to do nothing to Juugo whatsoever, and he pressed forward.

Kabuto sighed. "It always comes down to this, doesn't it? No one can bear to see Sasuke-kun go. Ah..." He sidestepped, letting Juugo's right fist sail past him and watching with mild interest. Realizing there hadn't been any contact, Juugo rotated on his heels and swung his left hand to pulverize Kabuto's head.

Kabuto ducked.

Juugo was off-balanced and still caught in his own momentum.

Grabbing the slender part of Juugo's wrist, Kabuto pulled forward--Juugo had already been falling, and now he was doomed. Hurtling downward, Juugo couldn't do anything as both Kabuto's feet pushed off his face.

As the silver-haired ninja curled into a ball and flipped through the air, no one but Sasuke could tell what happened. Kabuto had moved too fast for Karin or Neji or Sugietsu to understand why Juugo was suddenly flat in the dirt with a broken nose and shoe-marks on his face.

Kabuto landed in a crouch, straightened, and pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose again. He sneered. "Hn. Not much of an army, Sasuke. Anyone else?"

Before Sasuke could reply or make a single hand-seal, the earth under Kabuto exploded upwards in a shower of dirt. Leaping smartly backwards, Yakushi only managed to block Neji's fist before the breath was knocked from out of him.

Neji didn't hesitated to rain blows while he could, hitting any opening he could find with his Gently Fist. Kabuto let some of them hit, glad for the protective, light-weight armor under his cloak.

Not understanding why his enemy wasn't fighting him seriously, Neji dropped into a crouch and spread his hands into a tilted 180 degrees. "**Kaiten**!"

"Ooof," Kabuto grunted, flying through the air. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the ground coming up to greet him and knew immediately there would be no lasting damage. From the ground, at least--the Uchiha who had just appeared under him would be a different matter.

Sasuke's foot connected with the small of Kabuto's back and pushed him higher in the air, giving Sasuke the space he needed.

"**Shishi Rendan!**"

"I don't think so," Kabuto murmured, folding his arms over his chest like a mummy and corkscrewing away from Sasuke, preparing to land. "You forget. I've had three years to memorize your moves. You'll have to try something else."

With a smirk, Sasuke was obscured in a poof of white smoke. Karin laughed. "What? You never heard of a henge?"

Kabuto's only reaction was to twirl a kunai in his fingers and hurl it at her. Karin caught it.

"Big mistake."

For a moment, Karin seemed confused. Then the medical chakra that had been stored inside the knife exploded into her nervous system and she went down. "Aieeee!"

"What?" Kabuto asked her innocently, spinning a shuriken on his fingers. "Never heard of bluffing?"

Of course Karin couldn't answer him--she was just a bit busy trying to regain control of her body at the time.

Unconcerned with her, Kabuto turned to face Neji and Sugietsu, scanning the area for Sasuke. _Where are you hiding, Sasuke-kun...? _

Neji had begun to slowly inch around in a circle, watching Kabuto. His mind was working furiously to find a way to pin him down. _He's way stronger than I expected...apparently stronger than Sasuke did, too. _Flicking his eyes to Sugietsu, he muttered so that only the fish boy would hear, "Circle him."

Sugietsu, looking sour, inched in the opposite direction of Neji.

Kabuto's head snapped up immediately. "Kisame-san. Do _you _know where Sasuke's hiding?"

Sugietsu growled and charged forward. _I hate it when Zetsu is late, _Kisame thought.

Spinning Samehada expertly in his fingers, Sugietsu sliced diagonally, aiming to shred Kabuto to pieces. The front tip of the massive sword just barely missed as Kabuto leaned backwards, and Sugietsu thrust at Kabuto's midsection.

"Ooof," Kabuto muttered again, dangling off the end of Samehada like a deranged puppet, "That actually hurt. Since when are you with Sasuke, I wonder, Kisame-san?"

Sugietsu growled, "I'm not the shark. I'm a pirana." Yanking Samehada away, Sugietsu brought it high above his head, meaning to bring it crashing down on Kabuto once and for all.

Sasuke took his chance.

Shedding the camouflage jutsu he had learned from Orochimaru, Sasuke formed the seal for 'tiger' and shot a gout of flames straight at Kabuto the moment Sugietsu smashed Samehada down. "**Katon! Goukakyuu no Jutsu!**"

"Hey!" Sugietsu yelped, jumping away from the roaring fireball. "Watch it!"

Kabuto hissed, pulling his cloak tight to his body as the flames engulfed him. Peering upward, he sent as much chakra as he could into the soles of his feet and hurtled upward, of of the inferno.

Summersaulting to a landing and dashing in a zigzag pattern across the ground, Kabuto managed to avoid the shuriken and kunai being hurled at him as Neji and Sugietsu tried to intervene. Sasuke's katana was back in hand, and Kabuto's fist was packed with chakra.

Then, a moment before a collision, something large and green exploded out of the ground, grabbed Kabuto, and they were gone.

Sasuke halted in mid-swing, scanned the area briefly with his Sharingan, and sheathed the blade. "...He's gone."

"No kidding," muttered Sugietsu, slinging Samehada back over his shoulder. "Hey, Sasuke, would you watch where you're shooting those fireballs? You nearly roasted my ass!"

Sasuke fixed his red eyes on Sugietsu. "He called you 'Kisame'."

Sugietsu shrugged, looking bored. "Yeah, and? He's nuts. Must've thought I was Sharky because of the sword. It'd be easier if I had Zabuza's to use, too, but the orange idiot won't let me have it. It pisses him off, and quite frankly, I'd rather avoid that, wouldn't you?"

Sasuke glared hard at Sugietsu, and flicked his gaze over to Neji. "Are Juugo and Karin alright?"

Neji shrugged, his face emotionless. "Juugo is waking up, if that's what you want to know. Karin just needs to get a hold of herself again."

"I heard that!" Karin shrieked, tripping twice before managing to control her legs and stand. "It's none of your business!"

Neji glared at her balefully. "Apparently, it is."

"What?!"

"Urg..." Juugo breathed in deeply through his nose and pushed himself to his feet. "Sorry, Sasuke...He was too fast..."

Neji stared at him.

"What?"

"Why," Neji said, as if the word was offensive to him, "are you suddenly a kid?"

Juugo blinked. "What? Oh. That."

"It's a side affect," Sasuke told Neji shortly. "That's all you need to know right now. Come on." Without another word, he started walking in the direction they had been headed in only ten minutes ago.

"What the Hel?" muttered Sugietsu, slurping water out of his canteen and trudging after Sasuke. "No break?"

"We just had a break, Fishy," Karin reminded him. Sugietsu made a face.

"Since you didn't exactly do anything useful, I don't think you'd noticed," Sugietsu snapped at her, "But we just came out of a battle with a maniac. Again. That's an excuse for a break if I ever heard one.

Karin glared with daggers in her eyes at him. "I did more then you, Fish Stick!"

"Oh yeah?! Like what!?"

"Shut up," Sasuke snapped. They shut up. "We'll hurry to make it to the meeting point at the same time as the others. We will tell them nothing. Let's move."

In the back of the group, Neji's nostrils flared. He didn't take orders from Sasuke--meaning as soon as he got the chance, he'd tell Gai or Yamato or Kakashi what had happened. And no Uchiha was going to stop him.

-

"Madara-sama."

"Yes, Zetsu?"

"**We have him.**"

"Good. Alive?"

"**_Unfortunately._**"

Madara smirked. "I see. Any complications?"

"**_..._**"

"Zetsu."

"He found the Uchiha before we got there." "**And, apparently, the was a bit of an uproar.**"

Frowning, Madara raised an eyebrow (once again a wasted effort). "There were no lasting casualties, I hope." It was more of a demand to hear good news than a question.

Zetsu nodded slowly. "**_It should be nothing serious. A broken nose and some wounded pride in total._**"

"Excellent." _That's the outcome of it, then...he wasn't fighting seriously. _"And did our guest suffer at all?"

Zetsu hesitated. "**_No_**," he said. "**_None at all. There was a Hyuuga, the Uchiha, Kisame, and two of Orochimaru's experiments there, and yet there's hardly a rip in his clothing. It's...unexpected._**"

"Yes it is," Madara mused, "Highly unexpected. Bring him out."

Zetsu muttered, "**_As you wish, Madara-sama_**," and his hands blurred in a complicated series of handsigns. Next there was a loud _poof!_, a rush of wind through the confined space, and Kabuto was sitting in the middle of the floor, completely bound with rope and chains but for his head. His glasses flashed in the light of the torch as he looked at Tobi.

"Good morning, Madara-san."

"I see you know more than you should, Kabuto," Madara said sharply, standing imperiously above the captive. "And that you are here with a purpose."

Kabuto smiled, which was something between a smirk and a scowl. "Perceptive, aren't you? Yes, I am. Although I would rather tell you in a position where I wasn't so easy to kill, if you don't mind."

Peering hard at Kabuto for a full minute, Madara nodded. "Zetsu?"

Another muttering of agreement and more handsigns--the chains clattered to the floor and the ropes snapped in half, useless.

Kabuto stood up, brushing himself down and flexing his wrists. "That's better. Now, do you wish to hear my motives?"

Madara rolled his eyes. "I see this is a business matter," he said dryly. Kabuto shrugged.

"I was instructed to be polite to Madara-san and not to resist when I was captured. All the easier to deliver my message."

Madara tapped his fingers against his arm. "Then speak. What exactly does Orochimaru want?"

Yakushi Kabuto grinned creepily, his face only half-lit by the torchlight as he pushed his round glasses up his nose. "Why, a partnership, of course."

-

**Author's Note: ** Once again, sorry for the long wait, and sorry for the fact that none of the likeable characters (except for Neji) showed up in this chapter. And yes, I KNOW that Orochimaru hates the Akatsuki and that the feeling is mutual. But it's called _fan_FICTION for a reason. Besides, if you think that's bad, just wait until I bring up the guardians!

Naruto: Must you?

Me: Yes.

Kakashi: You won't have time to get taht far before Tuesday, especially if you're trying to update everything else before then.

ME: Who said anything about Tuesday?

Sai: Doesn't your high schoo--

Me: DON'T SAY THAT WORD! IT ISN'T THE SECOND YET! IT'S STILL SUMMER! LA LA LA, I CAN'T HEAR YOU! BLAH DA DI DA DAAAAAA!!

Sai: O,O" Okay then?

Naruto: Oh, she's starting high schoo--ummm, she'll be going to the White Washed Halls of Forced Learning on Tuesday. I get it.

Kakashi: Do you?

Me: I CAN'T HEAR YOU! JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE AL LTHE WAAAAAYYYY!!

Naruto: **wince **Ow, my eardrums.

Kakashi: Wow, she really hates schoo--

Me: **_I CAN'T HEAR YOU!! WHOOPEE WHOPEE FLIPPSIE MIPPSIE DOODLE SPONGE CAKE!_**

Them: O,O""""

Sai: ...So, she's trying to update everything before Tuesday, huh?

Naruto: Yep.

Sai: Will it work?

Naruto: I have no idea.

Sai: Huh.

Naruto: Yeah...Um, bye!


	24. Let Sleeping Bijuu Lie

**Disclaimer: **If the lawyers don't kill me, my reviewers will. I own squat, see? -holds up a squash- Take that! -throws at lawyers, then runs for my life- YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVVE!! ...Because if my reviewers have their way, I'll soon be dead. O,O"

Me: -spreads arms wide- Shoot me if you must, but get it over with, okay? I know this is really late. But if you're going to rant an monologue before you rip me limb from virtual limb, then I'll get pissed and actually die instead of pretending to. Meaning no more updates ever. So there.

Naruto: ...I'll not ask.

Kakashi: That would be smart.

Me: -blows raspberry-

Sakura: -.-"

Me: If the reviewers really do kill me, I'll be laughing at you, Sasuke-teme.

Sasuke: Hahaheehohoohaheehohooha.

Sai: Sasuke's the Joker?

Everyone else: -urge to kill rising-

-

Walk Like a Shinobi

_"Then speak. What exactly does Orochimaru want?"_

_"Why, a partnership, of course."_

Zetsu was silent in the corner, watching the proceedings with caution. He had good reason, too.

A partnership? Kabuto could not be serious.

If Madara thought the same, he didn't say it. Rather he blinked lazily, regarding Kabuto with sudden interest. "I see."

Yakushi smirked. "Do you?"

"Yes."

"I'm not so sure. Or, rather, I wouldn't have you be so sure, Madara-san."

"Then explain, and we'll see if I am correct."

**Not the best way to start this, ** Black murmured in his mind. White agreed. This will not end well either way, if the snake has ulterior motives. **As if there was a time when he didn't. **Yes...

Kabuto reached his hand back and pulled something from his belt. He uncurled his hand slowly, as if to add to the dramatic effect he was creating. Perhaps it worked, because black swore as Kabuto unfurled the small scroll he was holding. Madara raised an eyebrow, not caring that it went unnoticed.

"Do you still see?" murmured Kabuto, apparently satisfied with the reactions he had gotten. "Be careful, Madara-san. Watch how you say this."

Madara regarded the scroll--or rather, what was written on it--for a moment more. Then, he held out his gloved hand.

"Call your master. I believe we have a deal to settle."

-

The vixen circled, keeping her slanted silver orbs locked on the eyes of the big male across from her. He was circling, as well, but neither completed the circuit--they walked the length of their ranks, then turned and repeated the process. Why turn your back to the enemies hordes?

Of course, they weren't supposed to be here as enemies. But, it was customary. Only the oldest among them all had the last moment their king had called in living memory, but it was common knowledge. The first to arrive from the males and the females fight. The winner leads the ritual when King needs it done.

She could feel the attitude of the brawny male begin to deteriorate. He was irritated with all this waiting, and was eager to fight. She saw his hackles raise slightly and understood that he had abruptly made up hie mind. A second before he did, she lunged, and they clashed, snarling and ripping with razor claws. The two sides of the armies bayed and barked and yipped and howled. One decent bite, and it was over. Warm blood rushed into her mouth, and the male pulled away, yipping as he stumbled back into the mass of boy foxes.

For a moment, all sets of glimmering eyes locked on her.

The female swiped her lips across her blood-soaked muzzle and howled.

And within a minute, the ANBU of Konoha were wondering, alarmed, what on earth could be happening as the cries of foxes--known to sound like a lost baby--ripped the air.

-

Naruto sighed, and closed his eyes. It must be this place, he decided. Gives me the shivers.

"Someone walking on my grave," he muttered again, the third time in as many minutes. Rubbing his arms for more warmth, he scooted closer to the fire. This time, Sai ignored him. The orange-clad boy had been making a lot of strange comments like that lately. Must be a Jinchurriki thing, he thought. He was more right than he knew.

One by one over the course of the next hour, the other groups trickled in. For the most part, they were unscathed, but for the fact that Ino had lost her pack of food pills jumping a small gorge and was taking her vexation out on anyone who would listen (and some who wouldn't). Aside from the fact that she and Sakura seemed close to earth-shattering-blows by now, the only other thing worrying people was that, as before, Neji's and Sasuke's group had not arrived.

Kiba was just on the verge of complaining to Shikamaru (who was not in the mood to hear someone else complain right then), when something _thunked _into the center of camp. All eyes riveted onto Samehada as, shouting foully, Sugietsu landed beside it.

"Damn!" he hollered, grabbing the weapon and waving it angrily at the rest of the ninja (who had all entered camp by predictable means). "I swear, Karin, you touch my sword again and you are gonna _get it!_"

Karin sniffed. "Wouldn't have thrown you if you'd have stopped pestering me."

"Bullshit!"

"Ohh, gods!" groaned Kiba, covering his eyes. "My brain is forever mentally scarred! Thanks a lot, you bastards!" Akamaru yipped, growling and putting a paw over his eyes.

Sugietsu blinked, then grinned sharkily and tilted his head back to laugh. "Bahaha! You're welcome, Dogbreath! Haha!"

Kiba glowered at him, standing threateningly. "Excuse me, Fish Stick?"

Sugietsu stopped laughing and glared daggers at him, then looked at Karin sourly. "You bitch. You gave him the idea to call me that!"

"Why not? It certainly suits you, Fishy."

"Aw, just go to Hel already!" Sugietsu barked, reaching for Samehada's hilt again immediately.

Sasuke caught him by the wrist and glared at him with dark eyes. "Do not start something."

For a minute, it looked like Sugietsu was on the verge of refusing to comply and attacking anyway, but with another swear, he released samehada and stomped to the edge of the camp. "Buncha bastards..." he muttered. Inside his head, kisame thought moodily, _No wonder no one likes her. Queen Bitch. The sooner I can take HER out, the better! _

Kakashi's eye followed him warily, watching a few seconds more after Sugietsu had slumped against a shriveled tree before returning to the matter at hand. He was talking with Neji in low tones, Gai and Yamato listening. The jounin all wore serious faces, and Neji looked thoroughly pissed off.

"...much stronger than we might have thought. We'll have to take precautions against it immediately."

Slowly, Kakashi nodded. Murmuring, almost to himself, "We will," he looked up again, his voice suddenly cheerful as he called to Sasuke. "Sasuke, mind if I ask you something?" he asked brightly, dripping with fake cheer.

The Uchiha scowled suspiciously. "You will anyway."

"You're right, I will. Why did you think it was wise to keep the fact that you fought Kabuto from us?"

For a minute, the camp was _silent._ Neji's jaw worked, nostrils flaring as he wondered why he'd come to Kakashi first.

Then, Sasuke's eyes narrowed and snapped to Neji. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Of course you do!" Kakashi said, still smiling broadly under the mask. "In fact, Neji just told me. And why is Juugo suddenly so short?" He paused, then added dryly, "And bleeding."

It was then that Sasuke realized it was not a question. Even though he was currently concealing it, Hatake Kakashi was pissed.

Sasuke's eyes slowly rolled over to Kakashi's. He said, slowly, "We fought no one."

A glint appeared in the visible orb. "I'd like you to stop lying to me, Sasuke. You can't keep secrets anymore."

"What secret?" he said it without emotion, eyes darkening again dangerously. "I have no secrets."

"Bullshit!" shouted Naruto, leaping to his feet as everyone started and stared at him. Scowling at Sasuke, he snapped, "You are such a BASTARD, do you know that?! You screw us off for three damn years, and now that we're supposed to working together again, you decide you're too good for the rest of us! If Neji says you ran into Glasses-teme, I believe him! Spit it out, Sasuke-teme, or I'll make you!"

He said it with such conviction and ferocity that everyone blinked, looking between him and sasuke warily. Hinata shifted, wondering what to do should something happen. Sakura watched them anxiously--who would she support if they started to fight? Sai closed his hand slowly around his brush, unstoppering his can of ink to be ready for use. Kakashi continued to stare Sasuke down levelly. Nothing would happen. He knew it. But only if the right words came out of Sasuke's mouth--and he knew it, too.

For a brief moment, Sasuke considered his last fight with Naruto. The thought flicked, ever-so-briefly across his mind to continue the charade, and take the blonde on anyway. He knew his tricks now. Certainly it would turn out different from last time...

no. Sasuke closed his eyes for a second, and then met Kakashi's again, ignoring Naruto. He said, "We encountered no one. Kabuto disappeared after injuring Juugo. That is all."

"Ha!" Naruto shouted triumphantly, "How could you meet no one if Kabuto appeared?"

"He didn't come back or cause damage to me or my group. Not that I could say the same for you, dobe."

A vein twitched in Naruto's forehead. "Teme! You really wanna go again, huh!?"

"Naruto!" Sakura hissed, smacking the back of his head. "Sit down, you idiot!"

Naruto scowled. "I don't see you smacking HIM, Sakura-chan."

Sakura paused, blinked. She never slapped Sasuke. She'd never even thought too. Even when Naruto was making the most sense of the two, she scolded the Uzumaki, not the Uchiha. And this was the first time Naruto seemed to be sick of it.

Then Naruto straightened and rubbed the back of his neck, pouting grumpily. "Chicken-butt-haired jerk," he muttered to himself. A few people snickered, and he grinned. "Heh."

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. "Dobe--"

Kakashi's voice, this time low and menacing, cut in. "Sit down, Sasuke. Take a rest while we have the time. Yamato, Gai, Neji and I are going to confer on the best defense strategy to avoid anymore interference." He turned back towards the other jounin, but not before saying, "Oh, and, sasuke?"

Sasuke glared. "What?"

Kakashi's voice was soft, layered with danger. "Do not lie to me again."

And he plunged into conversation with the other jounin, ignoring the rest of them completely and utterly.

TenTen paused. She said flatly, "That was fun."

Ino grinned. "Loads of fun! Sasuke-kun, any MORE secrets you'd like to tell us?"

She said it, and Sakura immediately insulted her. Sasuke ignored them. Naruto sat back down, studiously ignoring Sasuke, and rummaged for a cup of ramen in his pack.

"Damn teme," he mumbled, slurping the noodles down.

-

"**...Kyuubi's awake.**"

One of the other entities in the space shifted, spoke. Shukaku snorted. "**No kidding.**"

Nibi growled. "**Is he coming, or will he be captured like the rest of us?**"

The Bijuu who had spoken first, the five-tailed, sighed irritatedly and rolled her eyes. "**How the Hel do I know? If he gets removed, though..."**

**"Then we're doomed**," said Yonbi flatly, snarling. "**He should have broken out earlier, when the crack in his brat's seal first appeared. Then none of use would be here.**"

Nibi's eyes rolled. "**Don't bet your tails, Gramps,**" she snapped rudely, "**Like Kyuusaisha would ever have deigned to help us anyway. Nine-tailed jackass.**"

One of the older demons roiled and lashed all seven tails out at them, snarling, "**You idiots be quiet! I'm trying to SLEEP!**"

For another second, the four were silent, then, Gobi hissed, letting the air slip through her bared teeth. "**Nibi is right. Kyuubi will not let us out unless there is something in it for him. If ever he'll destroy this cursed thing, we'll have to bow our heads to him.**"

Shukuku yowled, shrieking his annoyance. "**Never!**" he railed, "**I'd rather rot in here than give in to him! SonuvaBITCH!**"

Schichibi roared, tails spinning and bowling them all over backwards. "**I SAID, BE_ QUIET!_**"

Again, they were quiet. The previous fights having broken out in the confined space had done no good, and Yonbi still couldn't walk. Sanbi never really said anything, just sat, brooding in his own darkened corner of the area, three tails lashing occasionally as glowing eyes peered out from the lip of his shell. He rumbled now, deep in his throat,to let them all know he'd side with Schichibi if anything else were to happen.

A pause for another second, then, in a fierce whisper, "**When will Hachibi join us?**" Gobi hissed, **"Haven't they gotten his host, too?**"

Yonbi nodded sourly. "**They're busy with something, these Akatsuki bastards...you can count on that.**"

"**Aren't they always?**" growled Nibi coyly. Shukaku rolled his eyes.

"**Ah, shuddap!**" he hollered, not mindful of the furious glare of Schichibi resting on him. **"Either he'll show up soon enough and we'll have to put up with him, too, or he'll bust out and leave us here. Whatter we gonna do about it if 'e does?**"

"**YOU ARE GOING TO _SHUT UP!_"** roared Schichibi, dealing Shukaku a smack that sent him tumbling and flying to Sanbi's side of the area. The turtle sprung to his feet, lashing out soundly with his heavy claws. Shukaku rolled to one side and spat at them both.

"**Bastards!**" he shrieked, "**We're never helping YOU get out!**"

"**What _we_**?" muttered Gobi. Yonbi nodded.

"**Stupid young git.**"

"**_I heard that!_**" shrieked Shukaku, dancing with rage.

"**Maybe you were meant to!**" Nibi threw back, snarling and circling to try and settle down. "**Gods, I hate it in here! Maybe I'd ally myself with Kyuubi and then double-cross him when his back is turned if he'll let me out...**"

For a moment, the others stared at her, even Schichibi's eyes opening to glare.

"**What**," Schichibi said, in a low, menacing, gleeful voice, "**Did you say?**"

"**It's what we'll do, then,**" said Gobi decisively. She too settled down, a look of smug satisfaction on her leering face. "**When Kyuubi demands we bow to him, we will. And then, when we can...**"

"**We kill him,**" Yonbi said, "**And his brat of a host.**"

Shukaku, having recovered from his rage, grinned with malicious glee and laughed insanely. "**Yes, yes, yes! _May he rest in peace!_ Ha-haaa!!**"

And then, even in the back corner as they all grinning and chuckled, Sanbi rumbled happily. That was it. They all agreed.

Kyuubi would be given no mercy. They would escape and rule the world once more after they took turns tearing apart Uchiha Madara. They would lose one of their own, and Kyuubi might take one or two of them in the fight, but it was worth the sacrifice.

Oh, _yes. _It was most definitely worth the sacrifice.

-

**Author's Note: **Okay. Chapter's done. Fire at will!

...Oh, and I was kidding earlier...Even if I die my ghost will finish this story. In fact, over the next few updates, you may be pleasantly surprised.

...With my update rate, that is. Just, you know, a bribe not to brutally murder me like, eh, sayyyy...Ratchet was.

Naruto: Who's Ratchet?

Me: A dude who was a total jackass that got done in on the Orient Express.

Naruto: ...say what?

Me: Quoting Hercule Poirot--"I do not condone of murder."

Sai: Oh. He's that Belgian detective from Agatha Christie's books, right?

Me: -glomps him- SQUEEE! HE IS AWESOMNESS! -pokes reviewers- Even if you don't like mysetery, pick up a Poirot book. I command you, damn it! DX

Kakashi: And yet you've painted a bullseye on your back for them to aim at.

Me: -points- Sakura has one on HER back. Do you realize how many people want to shoot HER?

Sakura: HEY!

Me: It's true. Get over it, Pinky.

Pinky (my nutso clone): Yeeeessss?

Me: O,O" _SACRE! Nom d'un nom d'un nom d'un nom! _She escapes!

Naruto: ...I take it the french is taken out of the books this Poirot guy is in?

Kakashi: It's her latest obsession. Hercule Poirot, famous belgian detective as created by brilliant mystery author Agatha Christie...apparently, she's going on a mystery binge...she plans to read all 90-some Agatha Christie mystery books, including the ones about Miss Jane Marple, Colonel Race, Superintendent Battle, Aradine Oliver, Tuppence and Tommy Beresford, and Harley Quin. She's most obsessed with Poirot, though, and has been quoting him on tap.

Me: "Use your little gray cells and THINK!"

Naruto: ...Ah.

Me: _Sacre! _FF doesn't have a section for Agatha Christie fanfics! NOOOOOO!! -goes to complain to whoever's responsible for this horror-

Sai: ...I think her friends and sister are right. She DOES have problems.

Me: _Merci! _XD

Them: -.-"

No, seriously. I'm going on a mystery binge for as long as it takes to read all of AC's mystery novels...and then I'll attack the works of Sir Conan Doyle. And then I'll get my hands on whatever else sounds good. So, that's one thing effecting my update time, as of now--don't worry, though. I finished three Poirot books in five days, and they're about 300 pages each, sooo...yeah...I'm reading a Miss Marple book right now...Harley Quin comes next, then back to Poirot and miss Marple, then the others. I really will surprise you with my update rate, though.

..In a good way. XD

-Swirly

P.S. About earlier...Don't shoot me, kay? : P

Poirot: If she dies, mon ami, I will know who did it. I will know because I am Hercule Poirot!

xD


	25. Before the Shadow

**Disclaimer: **No, no, no again, mon ami, you are mistaken. I, ExplosiveNoteNinja, do not own Naruto. ...Yet. XD

Me: -shrugs- Nothing much to say here. This is pretty much a whole lot of foreshadowing--like I'm so lacking that, right? Told you I'd get it up quickly, though didn't I?

Moriko (one of my clones): Hey, is that another Poirot book?

Me: Yeah, and?

Moriko: But...you just had that Miss Marple one earlier.

Me: Finished it.

Moriko: -.-" Of course. Dang, Swirl, you need a HOBBY.

Me: -waves book in the air- This IS my hobby!

Moriko: Reading?

Me: No. Fanfiction is my hobby. Writing and reading are my life. XD

Moriko: Ah.

-

Walk Like a Shinobi

Hidan looked up. Just for a moment, he had been convinced he had heard...laughter. Evil, deadly laughter. He grinned crookedly. Whoever could laugh like that had the right idea.

Loaded with a sense of irritation, the other voice in his head sighed, _"For the love of gods. How much time are you going to waste, Hidan?"_

Hidan scowled. "Shut up, Kakuzu. I don't see YOU doing any work here."

_"That's because I've been gracious enough to leave you with control over yourself. It'd be a simple manner to overpower your consciousness and finish this myself, but I won't. Even if it WOULd be more efficient."_

"Man, you need a _life._"

_"...Says the man who kills himself at least twice a day."_

"I hope for your sake you were not making fun of Jashinism, money-minder."

_"Are you stupid enough to have to ask?"_

"Gods damn it! I'll kill you myself one day, and I swear I'll make it a shitload o' pain, you jackass!"

_"If you've forgotten, as it seems you have, we share a body, idiot. Kill me, it'd be like trying to commit suicide. Which, in your case, is entirely ineffective, considering you do it for PLEASURE. Do you comprehend, or shall I make it simpler for you?"_

Hidan scowled. "Jackass," he muttered again, "Just you wait. When this is over and we have both of our bodies back, I WILL kill you. Might want to put some money on it." He smirked.

Kakuzu had apparently had enough, and forced Hidan's head and hands to return to the task at hands, ignoring his partner's protests and swears. "_Watch yourself, idiot! The guardian still has some energy left!"_

Hidan blinked as Kakuzu made him fling himself to the side, just barely avoiding the white-hot attack. The guardian, nearly out of it, roared in disgust and hurtled through the air to try and land on top of them.

Hidan didn't respond, but instead took over his reflexes again and set about finishing his work. As he reentered the fight, though, he gave Kakuzu one last comment, "This still ticks me off--leaving a victim alive? It's against my religion!"

Thus, Kakuzu forced Hidan to keep his mouth firmly shut, and the battle recommenced.

-

_Zzzzzzzztt..._

Shino glanced upward from the tracks he was examining. Whoever had made them had piqued his interest, but now one of his scouts were back. As he listened, his eyebrows itched to turn his face into a frown, but what was the use? Anyone who could notice lived inside him. So Shino did the next best thing. He stood up and took charge of the situation.

"Where is he?"

_Bzzzt-tzz-zzz!!_

Shino nodded once, held out his finger, waited until the insect had rejoined the swarm, and set out at a fast walk. Within five minutes, he realized that the scout was right. The person who had left those tracks was very, very, very odd. In fact, when he had first seen the prints, he had wondered if some drunk fool had danced his way into the middle of the desert.

Now, he saw that someone was indeed dancing, but considering the multiple limbs he had, shino wasn't inclined to openly call him a fool.

"Wheeeeee!" sang the man, his own glasses flashing as he spun around the small fire he had going. The limbs, seemed made entirely of chakra, swayed and twitched as he sang. Apparently, the song was of his own making:

"I buzz'n I hum'n and I have a good tiiiime'n I don't take nothing from nobody, not even a diiimme!!"

Shino briefly wondered if the man was actually delirious and if he should put him out of his misery. The stranger continued singing:

"The Fox'n the Cat'n the Sand Raccoon toooo, I' better'n 'em 'cause I'm partnered with youuuuu!!"

For a second, he stopped, as a few of the chakra-limbs vanished. He stuck his lower lip out, seeming to think, then laughed and hopped around again, apparently finishing his solo:

"Now t'ey all think I'm nasty, insane as can beeee, but that's not far from true 'cause I'm Kill-er-beeeeee!! Yo! Hahaha!!"

The man plopped himself down onto the ground, wriggling a finger in his left ear. After a moment, he scoffed, and said aloud, "Eh? So what if I rhymed 'be' with 'bee'? Ya' rather I try singing it again? You said you don't like my raps." He paused again. Snorting, he rolled his eyes. Shino couldn't see them, but because he lived with glassed-people, he could tell. "Ah, shuddap, Eight-o. Yer such a kill-joy." He grinned, laughed to himself. "Haharr! Get it, Eight-o? Killerbee? Kill-joy? Heeha!" Again, he rolled his eyes. "Ah, yer a spoil-sport. Fine, fine. Fine, I said! I know, I have known. Oh, be quiet, yer just jealous..." He turned around, looked straight through the place Shino was hiding. "Hey, why doncha come out? Unless yer from Akatsuki or Kumo, I don't really care."

Shino didn't hesitate to step out from against the boulder and drop his concealment. He walked silently over to stand beside Killerbee. "I'm from neither."

Killerbee nodded sagely. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Yer from Konoha."

"You have a keen eye. Why are you running from Kumo?"

Killerbee glanced up at Shino, smiling wickedly. "Aren't you gonna ask why I'm avoidin' the Akatsuki, too?"

"No."

"I take it ya' know the answer, then, buggyboy?"

"I am of the Aburame clan, yes. And as for why you avoid Akatsuki, anyone sane should."

"But you don't think I'm all that sane, do ya', bugman?"

Shino shrugged indifferently. "It's not my place to judge someone simply because they host a demon."

Without warning, Killerbee threw his head back and laughed harshly. "You _are_ the sharp one, ain't cha? I guess you've had experience with some of Eight-o's friend's hosts?"

"Yes. You could say that."

"Hahaha! No wonder ya haven't run screaming, then! You Aburame's are tough stuff." He slapped the small of Shino's back heartily, mindless of the immediate response of the bugs attaching to his fingers. He motioned for Shino to sit down. About a foot apart from Killerbee, he did so, sending out an instruction to the bugs to return to him. As of yet, Killerbee was not an enemy. In fact, thought Shino, this man could be of some help to me.

"So, bug-o. What'd ya say yer name was again?"

"Aburame Shino."

"Killerbee," Killerbee grunted, though Shino had already figured that out and he knew it. "Why're ya' wanderin' round in Iwa for? Thought Leafies and Rockies didn't get along very well."

"Our villages do not see eye to eye, that is true."

"O' course, it's hard to see anyone eye to eye when we wear shades, eh?"

Shino peered at Killerbee more closely. He was grinning lopsidedly again. "A joke. Very...true."

Killerbee laughed again, then paused. Once again, Shino could tell he was rolling his eyes. "Ah, Eight-o says yer avoidin' the point. Act'lly, he says I'm avoidin' the point. Well, here it is, then." He paused dramatically. "Why're you here, Aburame, eh?"

Shino shrugged again,and said quietly, "It is a matter only concerning one man. Do not worry yourself."

"If that man's another Jinchurriki, I s'pose i have a right ta' be worried, then, don't I?"

He said it dryly, much more of a statement of fact than a question. His face was, at the moment, unreadable, and shino slowly nodded. He murmured, "You are right. You should be worried."

Bee nodded again, grimly. "Yeah, thought so. Eight-o's kinda pissed. All this business with the Akatsuki. Fought one o' 'em the other day, I did. What a jackass."

"I'm sure you are completely justified in thinking that."

Bee snorted. "I need to be justified to think? Maybe that's how that kid grew up--no wonder that Uchiha is such a headcase."

Shino looked up and him sharply. "Uchiha Itachi is dead."

"Who said anythin' 'bout the Weasel?"

Behind the shades, Shino's eyes darkened. "So it was his brother."

"Eh? I dunno. Might've been. Couldn't tell. They all look exactly alike. The stupidest haircuts, yo!"

Quietly, Shino stood. "Thank you," he said softly, "I appreciate your generosity."

"Eh? You leavin'? Fine, fine, fine then, be that way...Tell me if you run into the headcase. I need to show him how a real powerhouse fights!"

Shino murmured noncommittally and vanished in a swarm of insects. Killerbee sat for a moment more, looking thoughtfully towards the sky. Inside him, a deep, rumbling voice sighed in exasperation.

"**You need to stop rapping. You might've learned where the Uchiha was if you hadn't scared him off.**"

"Ah, shuddup, Eight-o. He woulda left after I said that either way. You know it."

"**...**"

"Well?"

"**...Yeah. I do know it. Never say anything, those Aburames.**"

"Hunf," Bee snorted. "I certainly agree with ya there, at least, yo!"

"**I am entirely serious, Killerbee. The next time you spout those trashy lyrics, I'll put you in a coma for a week.**"

"Joy-killer..."

-

The tall, pale man grinned and took the brush, signing his name without deliberation. The leer was lopsided, crooked, and contained hints of everything wrong in the world. If he could've, Zetsu might have shuddered. Gods, he hated dealing with these people.

But, it was done. Madara underlined both their names on the contract, knowing perfectly well that the carefully planned legal writings were entirely worthless. It was only a matter of who backstabbed who first. Nevertheless, he let his lips twitch in a small smile and held out his hand.

"To a partnership," he intoned.

The leer grew wider, inspiring nightmares. Behind his master, Kabuto smirked and pushed his glasses up his nose once more. "Hn. A historic moment, wouldn't you say, Zetsu-san?"

The plant man did not respond. Kabuto continued to smirk.

Laughing quietly, Orochimaru met the black gloved hand with his own stark white one. "Yesssss," he hissed with evil glee, yellow eyes glinting. "To a partnership."

The two masters of deceit shook hands on it, and in the shadows their subordinates watched as a very dangerous deal was sealed.

-

**Author's Note: **Went to the public library today. Guess how many books I came back with?

Naruto: Four.

Me: Yup! I'd've gotten more, but most were written by Agatha Chrisite and they wouldn't let me because it was pretty much everythign on that shelf...

Sakura: O,O"

Me: -sighs- And only three out of four--

Kakashi: ONLY?

Me: -continuing, ignroing him- --are AC books. The other is called Valhalla Rising (for anyone who knows me well at ALL, you should immiedetaly know why i had to pick it up. XD) and it's written by Clive Cussler. Read somehtign else by him, can't remeber what it was, though...Had an issue with the library card--it's my dad's, cuase i couldn't find mine, and his was outta date cause he hadn't used it in awhile so I had to give them my adress and dad's birthday to get the books. O,O" Close call. I almost didn't get them DX

Kakashi: Eye roll.

Killerbee: I feel for your pain, yo!

Me: SEE?! K.B. gets it!

Killerbee: I'm the K.B. Jin-churr-iki, yo!

Eight-o: THAT'S IT! YOU. ARE. SILENT! COMA TIME!

Killerbee: Aw, damn. -falls into coma-

Us: ...O,O"

Kyuubi: Wish i could do that.

Poirot: _Sacre! _It never ends!

Me: No kidding? XD XP : P

((Yeah, yeah, broing chapter, no main charrie appearance, but I got it up in two days, right? Told you I'd pick up. XD Till next time! Peace!))


	26. Strange Happenings

**Disclaimer: **Not only do I not possess a decent update rate, I do not own Naruto/Naruto Shippuden. Happy? No? Shoot...

Me: ...I'm just gonna post the chapter.

Naruto: Good idea, smart one.

Me: Oh, shaddap...

Naruto: You gotta admit, it's about freaking time!

Me: **throws up hands** I know! Gods, sorry...

Naruto: Feh.

Me: -.-"

-

Walk Like a Shinobi

The clouds were thin and sparse, and barely scuttered across the sky. The occasional gust of wind high above the traveling ninja gave the clouds a chance to catch up, but not a big chance. The group was moving in a straight line, running hard and fast, their footfalls raising puffs of dust as they pounded the earth. And this time, Naruto was in front.

He hadn't felt the strange chill in hours, and either way he had begun to dismiss it as either his own imagination or because they were nearly across the border of the map.

From where they were right now, each and every one of them could see the lakes .

Iwa had always been arid, dry--now the humidity was almost unbearable.

TenTen flicked sweat off her brow, not breaking her stride as she popped the cap of her canteen open and drank from it. Sugietsu, who had only stopped complaining when Ino had 'accidentally' tripped him, had long since drained his canteen. Seeing TenTen still had water left, he came to an abrupt stop. Chouji and Neji, who had been immediately behind him, were forced to do likewise, and Chouji went sprawling through the dust.

"Damn!" the Akimichi gasped, rolling into a sitting position. The congregation of shinobi had skidded to a stop, and Shikamaru and Neji were helping Chouji to his feet. The Hyuuga stared darkly at Sugietsu.

He asked Sugietsu coldly, "What are you doing?"

The shark boy ignored him, instead marching swiftly up to TenTen, grabbing her canteen, and ripping it off it's straps.

"Hey!" TenTen barked. Sugietsu paid no attention, instead bringing the canteen eagerly to his lips. TenTen smacked it out of his hand, burying a senbon into Sugietsu's palm as she did so.

"Fuck!" Sugietsu snarled, yanking the needle out of his skin and snapping it between his fingers. He glared furiously at TenTen as she retrieved her canteen. "Give it to me!"

"No. You had your own. If you want water that badly then keep running and you can take a swim when we get to the volcanoes," TenTen snapped, thrusting her canteen into her pack with its broken straps. Sugietsu's lip curled, and his hand reached for Samehada.

"Freaking bitch..."

Ino barked out, "Don't you dare!", and Lee and Gai sprung into position in front of TenTen.

Lee told Sugietsu courageously, "Do not take out your lack of youth on TenTen!"

Inwardly, Kisame rolled his eyes. Outwardly, Sugietsu barked out a laugh and sprung forward. Gai and Lee put up their fists, but TenTen flipped over them, weapons appearing from her scroll into her hands. "You don't need to protect me from this asshole!"

Sugietsu snarled and brought Samehada crashing down, to be blocked by TenTen's Fuuma Shuriken. She twisted it the right and caught Samehada between two of the the Shuriken's blades.

With an expert twist of her wrist, she hurled the Shuriken like a discus, and sent Samehada flying with it.

"You little bitch!" howled Sugietsu, aiming a roundhouse at TenTen's head. She brought up both arms to block it, and Sugietsu abruptly changed course--corkscrewing, he switched tactics and lashed out with his left leg at TenTen's abdomen.

TenTen grunted something like "oof" as she sprawled backwards, somersaulting over and over again until she managed to brace her feet against the earth and flip upright. The second she was on her feet, Sugietsu slammed into her again, smashing her against the ground.

"Hahaha!" Sugietsu reached for her canteen, and stared at his empty hand as TenTen suddenly was obscured by a puff of smoke...and a small boulder lay in her place. "What the--?!"

Sugietsu whirled around just in time to see a spiked club crash into the side of his head.

With a howl of pain, Sugietsu scrambled away as TenTen spun the club between her fingers and replaced it with the Fuuma Shuriken. Sugietsu dove for Samehada and dove again to avoid the giant shuriken, swinging the sword with lightning speed to shred TenTen's middle...

"That is _enough_," Kakashi said.

TenTen found herself shoved out of the way, and Sugietsu was dealt a merciless kick. The two ninja staggered backwards, and Yamato and Gai appeared--Gai clamped a restraining hand on TenTen's shoulder, and Yamato pinned Sugietsu against the ground.

Sugietsu writhed and twisted an an attempt to break Yamato's hold. When that failed, he snarled, "Get off me! Why isn't she pinned!?"

"Because you were the instigator," Kakashi informed him, looking at the shark boy wearily. "Don't even bother denying that."

"Wasn't going to," Sugietsu hissed, "But she could've let it go, couldn't she? Isn't that what you Konoha shinobi are always preaching to your students? Be the better person, or something like that? Gods dammit, get _off me!_"

"Stop making demands," Yamato muttered, "You're in no position to."

"Just get the fuck off of m--"

"Get off him, Yamato," Kakashi ordered, a tired tone to this voice. "We don't need to deal with his whining, too."

Yamato didn't move for a moment, then sprung neatly away from Sugietsu and dusted himself off. "Agreed, sempai."

Naruto's fingers twitched, and he ran a hand through his hair, grimacing. "Hey, hey, c'mon, now. Can we just keep moving? I don't want to get into a fight here."

Everyone present looked up at him, silent. The boy gave them a forced, cheerful smile and started moving again.

After another brief second of silence, the others fell in line and followed him.

---

Killerbee yawned, sticking his feet out and smiling in self-satisfaction. He was humming as he looked up at the sky, and sighed in contentment.

"...No Akatsuki, no Kumo nin, no Uchihas, and no worries. I'm liking this vacation."

"...**Are you **_**ever**_** going to get off your ass and get moving?**_**"**_

"Hmmmm...Nah, don't think so."

"**Bee!**"

"What?"

"**MOVE!**"

"Aip!" Killerbee yelped as a stabbing pain shot through his abdomen, and he jerked upright. "The Hel are you doing, Eight-o, you ass?!"

"**I've told you, stupid. We're going to Akatsuki headquarters.**"

"And I told you, no way in H--ARG!" Killerbee clutched his head, snarling as his glasses fell off his nose. "What the fuck are you _doing_, bastard?!"

"**Motivating you**," the Bijuu said flatly, rumbling deep and low in his chest. "**Now move.**"

"Fuck off! Since when do you get off orderin' me around, eh?! You asshole, I could damn well lock you back in that cell if you don't cut it the fuck out--"

The Hachibi sighed to himself, tuning out the sound of Killerbee starting his rant. The Bijuu was faced with a problem; he couldn't take over his host, he knew that, but the message from Gobi had been very clear--get to the Akatsuki base right away, Madara had started something, and Kyuubi's host was on his way already. Hachibi growled in irritation--Uchiha Madara...the bane of Bijuu existence. That bastard. Gobi was not stupid--if she could send him a message, then she must have something planned. Some idea to take out Akatsuki...knock Kyuubi off his place as the King of Demons...yes, something was being planned. He had to be there, with the others, if it was going to work...meaning there must be some way to get Killerbee moving.

"...and if you don't cut the crap, I think I'll just find that Aburame kid again and tell 'im exactly who it is the Uchiha has with him, and _then_--"

"**Shut up, Bee.**"

"Why don't you try an' make me, Eight-o?!" Killerbee snarled, jumping to his feet. "You wanna do this 'who's in charge' thing again, eh?!"

"**Not at all, Bee. But I've been told by Nibi--**"

"Yugito?" Killerbee abruptly stopped shouting, frowning pensively. Hachibi waited. After a moment, Killerbee threw his head back and laughed. "Ha! That's a good one, Eight-o. And what'd Yugito say? That we should go kick the ass of Akatsuki?"

"**Nibi says that we need to arrive at Akatsuki headquarters before the Kyuubi's host does. He and his companions are on their way right now.**"

"They're thick," muttered Killerbee. "They're stupid. Why're they going straight to Akatsuki, eh? Some righteous free-for-all invasion for the good of the ninja world?" He sneered. "Fine. If a bunch of Konoha nin are gonna get themselves killed, I'd like to watch. Maybe they'll tell me where that bastard Uchiha is before they croak so I can kill him. Let's go."

Hachibi was quiet. Killerbee was moving, probably with hopes of finding Yugito, Nibi's hostess. Hachibi knew full well that if Nibi could send him a message, Yugito was dead. But there was no reason for Killerbee to know that. After all, he'd probably find out when he died.

Indeed, Hachibi mused. Killerbee may find out very soon.

---

Not many people in Konoha had basements, but that was alright. Nothing could stop the foxes now.

There were a handful of alphas in the army, but they daren't start to fight over leadership. The vixen who had won the battle for control, and to irritate her was to be doomed. She was acting in the word of the King. Insult her, offend her, question her, and the King would punish you.

That would be worse than what the humans would face, once the King returned.

Operations went smoothly. The betas--there were many in the army--split up the job of basements and formed groups. Five foxes in the basements in north Konoha, five in west Konoha, seven in south Konoha, three is East Konoha. The alphas needn't worry over basements--they were too busy infiltrating the houses of ninjas to care.

Every fox lower than the rank of beta snuck their way into restaurants, stores, and bars. Not they minded such a lowly position, of course--the Matriarch had assigned them these posts, and they would stick to it. The Matriarch herself, however, was in the most dangerous position of all:

The Hokage's attic.

The woman may have picked up her presence, but that was not a problem. Not even a ninja would easily find a fox that did not want to be vixen pulled her lips back from her fangs in a toothy grin. The King would be pleased. Everything was going perfectly. Konoha was surrounded by foxes, and there wasn't much longer to wait.

Not very long at all.

---

**Author's Note: **I got a CAT scan the other day and spent two hours of my life--my dad dragged me outta bed at nine thirty in the morning! It's my vacation! D --in the ER. My parents were freaking out because I get headaches a bunch and sometimes my vision'll go all black and spotty for a few seconds. Like if you yank the plug outta a television while it's on, and the screen goes CHHHHHHHHHHHHHH? My vision does that sometimes. It's not a problem, honestly! No tumors or alien eggs sacs on my brain or anything.

Gothica: I'm surprised. I thought the eggs woulda hatched by now.

Me: ...

Gothica: ...Nevermind. **evil leer**

Me: Riiiiiighhhhhht...**shiver** Ick. Anyway...I coulda told them there was something wrong with me. When I went in the scanner thingymabob, guess how I spent my three minutes of laying still? Reciting creepy old English nursery rhymes in my head.

Moriko: ...Wow.

Me: I know, right? XD

Till next time...Peace!


	27. Poisonous Dealings

**Disclaimer: **Dearest reveiwers, readers, and fren-i-mies:

I do not own Naruto. Thank you and have a nice day.

Moriko: ORLY?

Me: YA RLY.

-

Walk Like a Shinobi

The Iwa Chuunin Takoto had never woken up. As soon as his prone form had been abandoned, Zetsu had swooped down and dleivered him to Madara. Madara had used his body and given it to Deidara's soul. Meaning Deidara was currently fighting in the body of a Chuunin.

It was not going well.

"Shiiit, un," Deidara hissed, skidding backwards and supressing the instinctive feeling of terror. "Damn Guardian. Damn greenhorn body. Damn Uchiha! C'mon, you oversized, acid-breath, mythical piece of--Arg!"

The Guardian roared, snarling and swiping at Deidara again with massive claws. The bomber missed being cleaved in two by inches and promptly ran up the wall to hang on the cieling. Turning his hulking head, the Gaurdian followed Deidara's movements and opened his jaws wide to revlead glistening teeth and a condensed ball of chakra that was slowly growing bigger...

"You missed," spat Deidara, launching himself from the cavern's ceiling and landing easily on the top of the Gaurdian's head. The clay in his hand was ticking away as he alpped it onto the thick scales..."Say hi to Manda for me, un!" Deidara hollered, leaping clear and sending chakra through to the bomb.

The explosion rattled the stalagtites, shook the floor and sent debris flying everywhere. The Guardian thrashed his head from side to side, howling in rage.

Lip twitching in a sneer, Deidara shoved down the cold spike of terror in his gut and got ready to try again. "Shiit, un."

He really didn't have much of a choice--Madara wanted the Gaurdians subduded by the time Uzumaki got here--three more days. After battling for four straight, Deidara was thankful that really, his soul was dead. Otherwise he wasn't sure he could have taken so much. He'd used nearly all his C3 explosives and the C4 he had just attached to the beast's head had done next to nothing. Three days left to make the Guardian a pet? Deidara snarled and lunged forward.

He'd show them--that was more than enough time for an artist like him.

"Die, un!"

-

Sasori spinned his head back into place and surveyed the wreckage of the lair. A distincitve, menacing rustling reached his ears, and he sighed. Stil? How many times did he have to kill this beast? Crouching, he felt the metallic wings unfold from his shoulders--Madara had been kind enough to upgrade his body while he'd been in Hel. So far, the adjustments had come in very useful in not being eaten.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-chhhhhhhh...

Here he comes...

With a blood-chilling hiss and a roar, a lithe shape exploded out of the rubble, curling in on itself like a bunge cord and shooting straight towards him. Springing into the air, the puppet master swervwed and dove and spiraled to avoid the vemon being spat at him--droplets of yellow poison the size of sail boats. Climbing into the sky, he pulled tight against the cliff wall and ducked into a slim crevice. Below him, he could hear the Guardian slithering along the ledge far below, waiting for him to poke his head out of the hole he was taking refuge in--oh, how the mighty have fallen...

Sasori allowed himself the smallest, briefest, most self-satisfied of smiles as he fingered the stings attached to his fingers. This wasn't over yet. Oh, no, not at all. He gave a little tug, not enough to set off the trap he had laid so carefully but enough to reassure him of their taughtness.

Now there was no escape.

-

Shino was feeling very disturbed. The large blobish impression made on his mind's eye by Kilelrbee's chakra was moving in the same direction as Naruto's and company. Only, Killerbee was moving much faster. He and the Konoha group were barley five miles apart, Killerbee being a bit more to the east of them. For whatever reason, the idea of the Kumo host meeting with Naruto sent shivers of dread rippling through the ranks of insects. Shino always trusted his bugs--he picked up the pace, closing in on the gap between him and the Konoha group. Far enough not to be detected, close enough to teleport if something went wrong.

But what was he talking about? Everything was going wrong.

-

The black-gloved fist slammed down on the table, rattling the untouched cup of tea and making Zetsu snap to alertness. Madara leaned across the table, gritting through his teeth in a dangerous, low voice, "You don't want to lie to me, Orochimaru." It was not a suggestion--it was a scalding command.

Orochimaru himself was unimpressed, his yellow eyes narrowed in a way that suggested he was throughly amused. Even so, Madara didn't miss the pale man's hands tightening on each other. The sneer he was given belied the purr that spoke, "Why, Madara, why would I lie to you?" In the corner, Kabuto fought down a grin. Zetsu shifted uncomfortably.

Madara was enraged, close to boiling over as he leaned further. "You know damn well why," he said, still in the same low voice, "And I will not tolerate it."

"Of course not," purred Orochimaru, "I never accept unfairness in my dealings."

"Then don't give me excuses," hissed the Uchiha, gripping the edge of the table so hard the wood cracked. "That scroll will be mine and mind alone in three days time, when this all comes to a head. You can have you village back and the Rinnengan exactly as promised once Konoha is gone."

"Then I see no problem."

"There had better not be."

A moment of silence as the single visible eye in Madara's mask glared at the snake-like orbs. Neither man moved. The menace wafting off them shimmered in the air like a heat wave. In their respective corners, Zetsu and Kabuto stirred. Kabuto felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead and blinked as his vision went hazy. Zetsu was trying very hard not to squirm in place--the hostility was shriveling him up. Another long second passed, the clock on the wall ticking queitly as though it too were afraid...

Near Madara's desk, the clay bowl suddenly filled and spilled over.

The silence broke like a twig being snapped in two, Orochimaru and Madara simultaneously glancing at the bowl. Moving out of his seat, Madara muttered, "Excuse me. This will only take a moment."

"Of course," murmured Orochimaru, head tipped to one side as he studied the small, average-looking bowl. "...An ingenious method of communication. Tell me, how do you accomodate for messages sent by shinobi with other chakra types? I take it the candle on your desk is how you speak with fire users, yes?"

"Correct," clipped Madara, and offered no further information. He kneeled and looked into the bowl. To Kisame, he snapped, "Report."

The shark-man shrugged and offered a toothy grin. "They don't trust me. I'm know Uchiha isn't buying that you brought the brat back to life, but he can't deny that this is his chakra signature." He grimaced, which wasn't much different from his grin. Gingerly, he touched the side of his face. "I hate faking how weak this kid is, though. One of the bitches here almost took his head off."

"Were you discovered?" asked his boss sharply. Kisame shook his head, swearing.

"No. The twat wouldn't give me her water bottle."

"Kisame!"

Kisame held up his hands hastily. "Hey, that's all, okay? Nothin' else is happening here. We're about three days away from the base, but you know that already, so unless there's any orders I gotta go. I told you they're watching me."

Madara thought quickly, asked, "There's nothing else?"

To his chagrin, Kisame hesitated. "Well--"

"Spit it out. I have a...guest. Hurry up, Kisame."

"

"Alright, alright. There's been this big ripple that comes and goes on my field of vision. Some big chakra signature. The Leafies haven't noticed it yet. I think it's a Bijuu."

"A Jinchurriki? Not Naruto?"

Kisame snorted. "Of course not. If I was detecting him anymore than I already am we'd be in trouble, wouldn't we?"

Madara sighed inwardly. "You think it might be the eight tails?"

"I dunno. The Hel should I?"

Another sigh. After another moment with Kisame looking around warily and Orochimaru watching with interest, Madara waved a hand. "Go."

A slurping noise and a splash, and Kisame was gone. The water in the bowl splashed over the sides and seeped into the ground as Madara stood and returned to the table. Orochimaru smiled, standing and signaling to Kabuto. "Well, then, I believe we've gotten what we came for. We are in agreement, Madara-kun?"

Again, Madara waved a hand. "For now."

"Till next time, then." With a woosh of foul-smelling air and a cloud of smoke, they were gone. Zetsu stood. His usually impassive face was twitching irregularly.

"**Madara-sama**."

"What is it, Zetsu?"

"**I**** don't like this.**" "Shall I go secure the eight tails?"

For a thrid time the hand gesture dismissed the matter. "Forget him. We'll worry about when he gets here."

"Madara-sama, if he arrives at the same time as Naruto..." "**...The prophecy, Madara-sama..."**

**"Don't worry about it, Zetsu. Go check on the others. Hopefully the Gaurdians haven't mutilated them yet."**

"**_Yes, Madara-sama._**"

The tall man was left alone in his darkened room, the light of the lanterns failing to reach into the recesses of the blackness. Letting out a deep breath, Madara sat at his desk and rested his chin in his palm, thinking. A few unexpected bumps along the way, but that was alright. So long as nothing else popped up, he would succeed. The ghost of a smile hovered on his thin lips at the thought of finally completeing what he had started over a hundred years ago--Konoha would fall. The ninja world would fall. The order of things would be rewritten just for him.

Everything was going perfectly.

---

**Author's Note: **More like two weeks. Sorry about that.

Oh, dear. I just now realized I talked about both Gobi and Nibi when Hachibi was thinking about how to get Killerbee moving last chapter. Sorry about that. It's meant to be only Nibi.I suppose Hachibi just tricked Killerbee into thinking it was Nibi so that Killerbee would get moving. **shrug** That works too.

Hmmm. You know what? I think I'll recite the creepy old English nursery rhyme that I was thinking about when I was getting my CAT scan. Here goes--

_Ten little soldiers went out to dine_

_one choked hisl ittle self and then there were nine._

_Nine little soldiers stayed up very late,_

_one overslept and then there were eight._

_Eight little soldiers travleing through Devon,_

_one said he'd stay there and then there were seven._

_Seven little soldiers chopping up sticks,_

_one chopped himself in halves and then there were six._

_Six little soldiers playing with a hive,_

_a ((killer)) bee stung one and then there were five._

_Five little soldiers went into law,_

_one got in chancery and then there were four._

_Four little soldiers down by the sea,_

_a red herring swallowed one and then there were three._

_Three little soldiers went to the zoo,_

_a big bear hugged one and then there were two._

_Two little soldiers out in the sun,_

_one got all frizzled up and then there was one._

_One little soldier left all alone,_

_he went and hanged himself and then there were none._

...See? CREEP-OLA!

Killerbee: Cool, man, I'm bustin' rhymes in old England! XD

Hachibi: **induces coma**

Me:** wince**


End file.
